Inuyasha: Matters of Perspective
by FrostByterFang
Summary: A semi-realistic, glorified "novelization" of the series. Its mostly for fun, so expect mostly drabbles with steady build-up of the lore and romance factor. Most events take place between episodes. Canon pairings
1. Prologue

_**Preface:**_

 _So, I was bored when I made this. I guess I needed something to break my slump amidst my writing fics and shit. Whatever the case, I suppose I should say this is merely a series of drabbles of stuff in between episodes and my rendition of what some episodes look like. Is it a novelization? Maybe. Will it be continued? Maybe in bits and pieces. All I know is that I'm a nerd with too much time on my hands, but even then the updates will probably be sporadic._

 _Anywhoooo, This was done for fun and to help my creative juices flow some. Inuyasha is an all-time favorite show, and I feel like I needed to upload something to do it justice. I attempted an interpretation of the end of the Final Act, but I lost interest in it years ago. So, I'm 'making up' for it with this something I farted out. So, sue me. I just wanted to share whatever I made for anyone who cares. Constructive criticism is appreciated, so don't be too shy if something seems out of place. Other than that, enjoy what I have here._

 _Long live Inuyasha bitches._

* * *

 **-X-**

 **Prologue**

To say the least, Feudal Japan was just one nightmarish, horrifying adrenaline-fueled learning experience after the other.

Ever since her first moments here in this long forgotten era, host to behemoth monsters, religious ignorance, political collaspe, and bloody terf wars, the girl learned (albeit the hard way) that the only way to survive here was to adapt to whatever curveball was thrown your way. Even as she was dragged into this hellish realm, she had a brush with death itself; the entity in question quite literally taking a taste of the girl before she was thwarted by some untold, unknown power. And then the events afterward, it concreted the fact that survival of the smartest and fittest was indeed its very core; let alone some adaptability, and sheer luck being thrown into the equation.

Still, the very modern girl was trying her _damnest_ at living through one ordeal after the other while keeping a straight face. Kagome should be counting her few lucky stars that she was even still around at _all_ , considering how many times that freaking centipede had relentlessly come after her. She credited herself for being clever enough to endure not so long ago, but her perilous tumult through one fight or flight scenario taught her otherwise. Between the initial shock of realizing she was in ancient Japan, and then winding up here, in-betwixt a deadly 'standoff' so to speak, to say she couldn't be more weary and freaked out was the _absolute_ understatement of the year.

Not too far away from her, Inuyasha's claws glinted maliciously in the moon-shrouded night, his shit-eating leer curling the middle-school girl's nerve. He flexed his talons; because that's what Kagome wanted to call the instruments of Mistress Centipede's demise. His honey-colored pupils ignored the darkness of the hour, his gaze barely passing a significant once-over through the masses that surrounded him. To Kagome's bone-chilling horror however, his eyes would find her and stayed arrested upon her, his teeth- _ohmygod those are actual_ _ **fangs**_ suddenly peeking through his lips.

 _Okay. Forget honey. More like cold, hard, almost frigid metallic bronze! But seriously, what's up with this jewel? It seems to make monsters more powerful, and even crazier. Is it cursed?_

Kagome took the second to (hesitantly of course) briefly remove her eyes from the newly freed Inuyasha, her gaze searching the glittering gem within her palm. Its pearlescent light was subtle and brilliant, but it had an allure within its dephs that even Kagome couldn't help but notice.

 _Worse yet, why_ _ **me**_ _? Why do I have something conveted by demons inside my body?_

"I hate havin' to wait," she heard him say lowly, disrupting the teenager's thoughts. The girl placed her eyes back to the humanoid boy as he lifted his arm, his knuckles popping audibly. _Oh gross_ , she internally voiced. However, his next words were a sure-fire, feral growl that promised something terrible, his brows furrowing dangerously. "And I _hate_ the smell of you," he snarled.

Kagome winced, knowing full-well that his comment was directed at her. She just then made yet another choice as well; her body moving instinctually before she even noticed what her legs were doing.

She hardly turned on the balls of her heels before Inuyasha was already upon her like stink on a corpse: He was a bounding blur of lanky muscle and red-clad greed throwing itself head-long at the frightened mortal trampling through the bracken. The elderly priestess nearby, Kaede as Kagome recently learned, could hardly do a thing as she watched the half-demon rustle on by, his determination set.

Kagome somehow knew she couldn't out-run a halfling weirdo, demon or no; but it still wasn't going to stop the girl from damn-well _trying_. Still, her clumsy self managed to catch on one of the centipede's ribs; leftover from Inuyasha's last assault. Her body propelled itself forward until she was on her belly; her momentum carrying her a good ways across the forest floor. Her wound on her waist was jarred from the impact, and a fresh stream of blood emerged anew from it.

Perhaps her clutziness was what saved her that night as well as endanger her; all things considered: Inuyasha's glistening blood-stained claws had swiped _right_ where her torso had been less than miliseconds ago. His miss carried him a short ways away, but his smile was still in place as he straightened up. Kagome blinked away her fright and puffed, her ragged breath lifting her hair out of her sweaty face.

The dog-eared wonder smirked some more, as if his miss was nothing more than a playful swipe. And then he added with yet another ominous crack of his knuckles, "Want me to scratch your back?"

 _Is that... a joke...?_

Kagome crawled to all fours, her forearms shaking like mad. Her rich brown eyes then moved to Inuyasha, her words a muted denial of the previous last few seconds. "Y-you... You really tried to hit me just now, _didn't_ you?"

"Shoot him! Shoot him now!"

The frightened village archers released a volley of arrows; the resounding twangs bouncing around Kagome. She'd forgotten they were there, but it mattered not: Miraculousy, the whistling arrows did nothing to cow Inuyasha; he merely snorted and flung out his corded arms. His robes caught the shafts of the arrows, and it _broke_ them into a bunch of splintered dust right before her eyes. His freakin' _clothes!_

 _What the heck is he? If even his robes are so abnormal, then how can he even be considered half-human?_

Kagome's breath stopped mid-way in her throat as she watched the shattered wood fall to the grass, her eyes never leaving the object of her newfound fear. Every minute that Inuyasha was free was givng her a new reason to regret her previous decision of letting him go. She was then getting up, her nerves frayed and her fear at a new fever pitch.

Inuyasha was then darting forward, his claws raking the air around the crowd of men. She really would've thought he'd strike the humans on purpose too; but instead, his power projected into something like beams, cutting through the tree trunks nearest the crowd. The majority of the crackling wood began to topple, the trees' descent creating a rude roar of jagged noise that sent the village men scattering like cock-roaches.

Kagome took advantage of the freak's attack; the seconds Inuyasha took to distract himself with the hapless villagers gave her enough time to get her butt in gear. She was already beyond the tree-line quicker than she thought possible in just seconds; a speed she never achieved back in school if she had anything to say about it.

The half-demon meanwhile then threw himself onto one of the ragged trucks of a broken tree, drawing himself to his fullest height. He jerked his thumb to himself, his snort derisive, "HMMF! Who do you people _think_ I am? D'ya think you can hurt _me_ like I did that centipede?"

"Lady Kaede, methinks mayhap we might have chanced the centipede," croaked a pikeman behind the old woman, his arms lowering his weapon in resigned acceptance.

Kaede however could only shake her head, her one eye calculating. She sighed, her back creaking as she moved, "Somehow, I knew that eventually we might come to this." She withdrew an item from her sleeves, and then proceeded to follow Kagome to where she'd gone into the forest.

As for poor Kagome herself, she didn't think she'd ever run _this_ fast in gym class before; but then again, she didn't have a pissy half-demon tailing her during those times. Inuyasha had noticed her departure before, but you can bet he merely let that happen for a reason as preverse as a headstart for his prey. He didn't mind letting the idiot girl have a head-start at the very least.

 _Oh how curteous of him!_

Kagome's breath came out in a continuous stream of puffs, her arms pumping as she sprinted through the darkness nearly sightlessly. It was like running through a literal nightmare; a something she could've swore she dreamt once. _And yet its so real_ , she thought. _I'm actually being chanced by a potential murderer! And he just so happens to have REAL, freaking_ _ **superpowers**_ _._

"Prepare yourself!" came Inuyasha's voice through the foliage. His volumous robes caught the air currents as he moved, letting the girl know generally where he was; not that it comforted her or anything.

"P-prepare? For _what_?" She retorted, but mostly to herself. Still, her mind just had to snarkily tell her _Ya damn well know what he means by that._ Kagome however ignored it and begged her fatigued form to move yet faster still.

It wasn't enough.

The air whistled around, preempting a warning to the teenager: Kagome craned her head just in time to see the half-demon sailing through the air with an arm raised, his teeth bared as well. Kagome squeaked like a frightened rabbit and ended up throwing herself just ahead of the strike, feeling the air behind her rent through as the demonic swipe cut both it and the dirt below. It created a shockwave that finished hurling her away from it, helping further her escape from bodily harm. Gracelessly she fell onto her front yet _again_ that night, the girl unable to keep track of just how many stinking times such an event occured. The Jewel however clinked as it rolled away from her hand, stopping just a yard or two in front of her.

Kagome rolled onto her buttocks and couldn't help but gawp; Inuyasha's claws had blown a ragged series of _huge_ rifts into the soil, easily longer and wider than an entire charter bus. Her mind raced at the thought of what that could've done to her fragile little human body, but then she considered the centipede before her and felt the bile surge to her throat.

"HA! Now its mine!"

The girl snappped out of it upon hearing him; suddenly grimly noting just how much _stronger_ her current foe could be with jewel in hand. She turned and started towards the jewel again, but took pause when she heard a new sound cut through the dirt-clogged air: She couldn't really describe it at first, but it was like a humming noise that both sang and bellowed with a shrill screech, a flurry of what she easily could mistaken as pink stars flashing by. She barely had enough time to make the comparison before the lights settled around Inuyasha's throat, the rosy colors dimming into something else entirely.

He settled in front of the girl, coming to stop just shy of the jewel. "The heck are _these_?" The half-demon muttered with a tug at the new necklace, his flinty eyes incredulous.

"Quickly child! The word of subjugation!"

Kaede's winded, exhausted voice snapped Kagome out of her reverie completely; the girl crawled towards the jewel and hardly registered the elderly miko's words as she moved. "Huh? What word?" she stuttered as she inched along, snatching the jewel up in front of her.

"It matters not! Your word has power to hold his spirit," continued the other cryptically.

Kagome continued to run ahead, once again taking the advantage of Inuyasha's distraction. She rushed by him and then jogged to a muddied hill-side, her mind barely comprehending a little too late just how unstable the ground was. She yelped as it gave way beneath her, crumbling away into broken chunks all the while dragging her further down the cliff side not so far away from a torrent of raging white water. From its edge she came to a abrupt stop, her bruises and open wound acting up with every shock passing through her body. Sadly, the jewel was shaken from her death-grip as well, bouncing coyly away with its tinkling indicating just where it came to rest. It was of course right out in the middle of a rickety bridge, out in the open, above frothing rapids, way too far away for the girl to madly dash to without being beat by Inuyasha.

 _And possibly incidentally torn apart. Just great._

Apparently the half-demon had recovered from his initial shock as luck would have it; because then he was flying through the air with yet another snort and his anger boiling to new highs. "HUH! How can _you_ overpower _me_ if you can't sit up!?" He barked.

Kagome rose to her feet, knowing full-well she'd never beat the high-flying interloper to the jewel. She quickly pondered aloud Kaede's words, "A word to hold his spirit? But how will I know which _one_?"

Her eyes tracked Inuyasha as he floated through the night time air, the clouds having freed the moon from their shrouded vice at some point. With it shining brilliantly behind the half-demon, jointed with a shrieking gale that rippled around him like a howling wolf-dog, Kagome would've been hard-pressed to believe that this was in fact real life as she heard the gale thrill through her body with its reverbrations. And even as powerfully as he'd thrown himself, still Inuyasha landed with an almost quiet, feline grace that belied his usually brutish methodology. He bent down, the jewel moving towards the man as he lightly jostled the bridge.

"Um, uh, uhhhhh..." Just as her eyes caught the wiggle of his very canine ears, she couldn't help but think of yet a pair of words she'd use for any feisty, misbehaved dogs under any other normal circumstance. They were intrusive thoughts, but then she was mouthing the words without a thought to anything else; desperate to keep the jewel from falling conviently into the hanyou's avaricious hands.

"SIT BOY!"

 **-X-**


	2. Story Time

**-X-**

 **Some time after.**

There was many things she learned during the duration of her stay here in this chaotic era; one of which being just how wrong, or rather how vague her history books were.

It's said that when the books were originally written, chances are only seventy percent of the tome is usually correct; the rest is literally speaking, ancient history. Her schooling never mentioned demons of any sort except when they went over mythology, fairy tales and supposedly forgotten lore. And even then the topic is merely vaguely reviewed in passing.

More to the point, it was kinda strange that there wasn't much about the Feudal Era that was preserved long enough to even make it to the modern day. What little Kagome knew was scant; and every time they did go over the events of this specific time-line, the information glossed over the finer aspects of mundane life here. She'd studied the subject often enough, and knew enough that Oda Nobunaga was indeed a _very_ integral role model of this age. Alongside others whose names the girl couldn't remember at present, these figures were instrumental in forging some sort of great unification. Sadly, anything beyond the specifics of everyday life here was always forgotten or simply unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

The other most important lesson she learned during her stay here was this one simple truth: That you are to distrust pretty much _everything_ around you, no matter who or what you see. Besides that, keeping your guard up at _all_ times of the day was meant to be second-nature to anyone living in this era.

Other than the obvious spies from other villages, alongside the fact that even warlords seemed to trust no one else but their own strength, Kagome remembered Kaede mentioning the various types of demons that live and thrive in this world. Even the freaking plants were suspect, much to the girl's chagrin. When she heard of tree demons and their ilk, she couldn't help but feel paranoid about it; so much so she was glancing at every tree that seemed to move suspiciously whenever she was on the road for the first while. Worse yet, Kaede mentioned that the worse kind of demons that do exist are the ones that disguise themselves as humans; so any harmless farmer you see could potentially turn around and eat you if that were indeed true.

 _And now that I think about it, Sesshoumaru fits that bill._

Other threats included wards, barriers, illusions, and invisible traps that could surround the lairs of certain demons. Humans happen to vanish frequently when they go on what should've been a simple errand like gathering herbs or such. Kaede _never_ went into the forest surrounding her village without her bow and a very heavy quiver of arrows as an example. Priests and priestesses were apparently fan-freaking-tastic to have in each village for these reasons; and it inspired Kagome to try to hone her own apparently in-born miko powers. With all of her wanderings with a formerly homicidal _idiot_ of a half-demon, she couldn't help but note that not all villages were blessed (sometimes literally) with any sort of holy man or shrine maiden.

It was sad really, and it was for these reasons the villages the duo do come across were usually welcoming of even a budding miko like Kagome despite her weird clothes. But they were also rather reluctant to let her in once they noticed Inuyasha and the newest member of their dysfunctional team, Shippo by her side. It took all of Kagome's assurances and wits just to even get near the villages in some cases.

On one occasion, a villager even hurled a rotten fruit at Inuyasha, who wasn't even remotely _fazed_ by the gesture. He batted it aside, huffed, took Kagome's wrist and dragged her away from the village once she said she sensed no shards. Kagome insisted on giving the villager a lecture of a life-time, but Inuyasha assured her in his own gruff way that he didn't care and they had better to do. Still, this event made Kagome's gut churn unpleasantly, and she couldn't help but wonder what kind of throes said half-demon endured before he met this Kikyo. She kept her pity to herself; knowing Inuyasha certainly wouldn't care for it.

Anyway, Kagome digressed as she reflected on all this. For the moment, she was still learning about the quirks and habits of her platinum-haired companion, let alone the fox-tailed child she was now stuck with.

On a beautiful day like this, early in the days of their shard hunt, the girl attempted to try to absorb as much information as she can. Between her homework, Kaede's lessons, and putting up with a cantankerous, irritating, hot-tempered head-strong half-ling with glaring trust issues of his own (and for good reason the girl now realized), it all was sometimes over-whelming. Still, it didn't stop her from trying. Kagome credited herself for being a trier, and that's what counted.

They sat for lunch one afternoon, Kagome dipping up some piping hot ramen for Inuyasha while brewing some tea on the side. The tea was appreciated by old Myoga, and it contained some honey and energy boosters so the middle-school girl could be better able to traverse the many hours of the day. Ever since their meeting, Inuyasha meanwhile went from whole-heartedly trying to kill her, to complaining about her and her smell, to becoming a begrudging ally who _still_ complained about her smell until recently. At least he's gotten somewhat better at talking to her, but he seemed to have an annoying habit of making even pointed statements sound like insults.

Which was a talent in some ways _. Go figure._

Would she dare call him a friend however? She wasn't so sure up until their run-in with the Spider-heads. Inuyasha's human persona, while still pointedly him in every way, was tuned down to an extent where his pride was more manageable. If it hadn't been for their near-death experiences, Kagome would've loved to try to talk with Inuyasha some more then. He had been, for his standards, far more open with his feelings. And a whole lot more friendlier than he usually presented himself, she noted.

 _Like when he said he actually liked my smell, and he's been lying about all those other times about hating it. I wonder though... was it truly the new moon or the poison that made him say that? Maybe it was both...?_

Whatever the case, this moment was one of rare respite. While Kagome was still suspicious of her demonic company in some ways, seeing how Shippo was fairly new to the party, she'd grown to rather adore the kitsune. He'd proven he was far more sensible than his age belied, and his odd understanding of emotional ties made him openly affectionate towards Kagome. Whether in gratitude or not, she wasn't sure.

So, why was this orphan demon stuck with them? Well, Kagome had continued to ask herself this for the first while, but then she internally said _screw it he's adorable_ and told herself she needed someone who wasn't _Inuyasha_ bugging her all day. Other than that, the small fox was alone and friendless, with apparently no other family or anything of the like. In an off-handed way, his being alone could be considered her fault after all: Seeing how the broken shards of the Shikon Jewel were what lead to Shippo's lonesome situation.

But, if such a thing happened to Shippo, then how many more children will be orphaned as a consequence to Kagome's blunders?

"Kagome?"

His timid voice broke through the girl's thoughts, redirecting her attention back to the boy. She had to conceal her sadness, forcing her smile into something she believed genuine enough to obscure her guilt for the little fox.

"Whatcha thinking about?" He inquired, his auburn tail twitching.

Briefly, the girl wondered what the boy felt about humans, prior to his meeting her. She decided to save the question for later of course. "Oh... Uh, well," she paused, taking a rain-check on her mental wanderings. "I was... uh..." She considered. And then, "You know what? Its not important."

"I think whatever you say is important!" He bounced, his tail moved in a motion that made Kagome think of an agitated squirrel. _Oh my god_ she internally winced, reflecting on how Inuyasha previously thought Shippo was one when they first met. "You're thinking about it so _hard_ ," he continued. "-And you're making lotsa weird faces while doing it. Was Inuyasha being mean to you again?"

Inuyasha snorted nearby, compelling the girl to toss the weirdo a well-practiced scowl but electing instead to ignore him. So, she scooped the little fox and held him dear, smiling large enough for the two of them. "No, no more than the norm. But... its not important enough to mention anyhow."

"Come oooon! You can tell me! I'm a goood secret keeper!"

"Huh. A secret keeper huh?"

Shippo grinned, his little fangs smaller than Inuyasha's, but he seemed to have _more_ of them as well, unnervingly enough. Kagome constantly found every individual demon she met was fascinating in some ways. "Uh huh!" He bobbed his little head excitedly. " My dad made me his secret keeper. He told me all kinds of neat things. So whatever you say is super safe with me!"

"Hmm. You know, humans actually have a term for that kind of thing," Kagome hummed, her smile coming far more easily now.

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

She leaned in conspiratorially, her voice hushed, "They're called confidants. And they're _super_ important. They hold onto secrets no matter what it costs them." She passed the half-demon a significant glance, thinking of how their previous skirmish with the evil spider-heads could've gone so much better if Inuyasha had been more forth-coming about his secret. Inuyasha's lack of reaction to her however only indicated that he was still far too busy indulging in his newfound love of ramen to care. _What a jerk_ she mentally chided.

Shippo's eyes widened some, his little hands curling in front of his tiny haori. "That sounds _suuuper_ important! Can I be your confidant?"

Before Kagome can say more, Myoga then jumped into the conversation. "Actually," he drew out. "You two happen to, *ahem*, know one!"

Kagome rose a delicate brow, while Shippo appeared unimpressed. Inuyasha simply continued to loudly slurp down his lunch.

Seeing their faces, Myoga was suddenly hopping to and fro, wondering why their reactions weren't anything he expected. "Hey!" He croaked. "What's with those looks? You know I _am_ telling the truth-!"

"Its not that," Shippo said. "Its just it suddenly looks a whole lot _less_ impressive now that you actually said something."

His deadpan statement caused for Myoga to stutter indignantly, which did finally prompt for a yet another snort from Inuyasha. Kagome however sighed and leaned back on her arms, uncrossing her legs and briefly fanning her face. The humidity out here was staggering today.

"But miss Kagome was correct in saying how important a job it was," continued the flea demon. "I was master Inuyasha's father's personal confidant as well as a loyal vassal!"

"My gut says he was drunk when he made you his _confidant_ ," Inuyasha interjected, his words coming out bitingly barbed in a way that made it sound like he was air-quoting the statement. Done with his meal, he tossed the plastic into the fire and watched it burn; the smell making his nose wrinkle and twitch. Kagome made an internal note to find containers that could burn more easily than this. She didn't need to be bringing plastic into the Feudal Era just to have it left out in the wilderness. _Paper is smarter. Dang it Kagome, think this through!_

Myoga alighted upon Inuyasha's shoulder and added, "How could you! You've so little faith in me, master. I'll have you know that he was quite sober when he declared it!"

"Pffft. Yeah right," The half-demon jabbed a talon-tipped finger at the miniature parasite. "With how easily Sesshoumaru gets a hold of shit, you'd do a better a job selling whatcha know than keeping it!"

Outrage blossomed across the tiny demon's face, his extra arms wiggling to and fro in a flickering blur. "How can you say after all those years I've served _you_ master! I've witheld _your_ secret until miss Kagome realized it on her own!"

 _More like found out by accident._

Kagome's eyes flickered to Myoga then, wondering what the little demon himself actually knew about Inuyasha. She was in fact _very_ interested in the guy the more she got to know him, realizing with some shock just how... dare she say, _gentle_ the hanyou could potentially be. However, those moments were rare, and his reluctance to part with any information regarding himself was like pulling teeth. She always pondered if his pride was simply learned from reticence and was trademark of his crass personality, or was perhaps demon-born in some manner. She considered how different he was on the new moon, and shook her head; the answer was elusive to say the least.

Inuyasha blew yet another rasberry and snarled, "Yeah right! If you were such a dedicated servant, you'd wouldn't run off every god damn time we get even a _whiff_ of danger!"

"I don't always run from the danger sire!" Protested the insectile demon. "I've been by your side in most occurrences!"

"Fucking bullshit!" Inuyasha bit scathingly. "If yer so loyal, name _one_ instance where you stood beside me!"

"Well, what about when the Thunder Brother Hiten threw that ball of charged energy at you? I was the one who helped you defend against it with my wisdom!"

The irate half-demon made a noise between his usual growl and a near yell, clearly aggravated to no end. "That was a _hunch_ you betted our lives on, not wisdom! Besides," he once again leveled a claw-tip to the small vassal. "-You couldn't run 'cause you would've been caught up in the attack! You _knew_ ya couldn't flee from that!"

"Such accusations my lord! The atrocity. The betrayal! The-" Here the eldest demon paused, his bulbous eyes narrowing into a squint. "Huh. Sire, was that a pun?"

"What pun-" Inuyasha mentally went over his last statement, but then the recollection dawned on him with a twitch of his oddly dark eye-brows. The end result was a throaty growl and a snap of his teeth; the display indeed very canine. He then claw-flicked the pest in question, "Fuck off already wouldja!"

As Myoga was hurled away, Kagome tuned out the rest of the world. Frankly, the girl's mind began to wonder to worlds unknown, not even noticing Shippo curiously helping himself to the contents of her backpack. She merely went on to drink the tea she brewed, her mind vaguely catching the sounds of the hanyou nearby relocating himself where Shippo was. A brief scuffle flared between the two, the noise level only slightly niggling at the girl's mind minutely. Shippo's crying however snapped her attention back to the present, as it where, and then that familiar flare of anger soured the rest of Kagome's appetite. She did see that Inuyasha has indeed clobbered the poor boy in the noggin and was rudely shaking him up and down, his teeth bared.

"Ya know better than to go snooping in her stuff! Whatcha got to say for yourself?"

Shippo sniffed and flailed his small limbs, crying out for Kagome. The girl couldn't help but react to his plight, not even thinking about how instinctual it was for her to aid the demon child. Nor would she question it, despite their differences.

"Inuyasha," she deliberatly ground out slowly, making the half-demon freeze in his tracks. He released the kid as a reflex otherwise, his ears pinning to his scalp.

"What?" He began almost helplessly. "He was going through your weird bag!"

"Sit," she tartly replied.

A resounding _whump_ answered her command, and then the girl met Shippo half-way as he bounded over to her. With boy in arm, she then said, "Shippo, you know better than to go sneaking around in other people's things. What do you have to say?"

The boy fidgeted with his very small hands, his jade eyes suddenly downcast. He looked very human indeed, prompting Kagome to wonder evermore at the seemingly odd lack of differences between he and her when she was that age. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I just wanted to look at the stuff. You always bring back something new every time you go to your time."

 _Ah_. She nodded, understanding his curiosity. _Harmless enough intention, seeing how I'm wearing my jewel shards. And if I'm not mistaken, weren't foxes naturally curious creatures?_ A part of her thought the boy had been looking in her bag for the shards, but her initial thought was rather distrusting of the child. She chastised herself for thinking otherwise; seeing how Shippo had tried his best to be strong and reliable after their recent brushes with death. She hadn't known him long enough to get an accurate measure of the kit's personality yet, but he was a child as well, and it somewhat helped that she had experience dealing with considerably younger individuals.

"You want to know more about me, right?" she wondered with some inflection at the end indicating her own question.

"Yeah!" Shippo pumped his little arms, Inuyasha slowly rising to his feet nearby and scowling at the boy. He mashed his lips and growled lowly to himself as well, but Kagome coolly ignored him as the kid went on, "I remembered you saying something about 'man on the moon' not so long ago, and I remembered your funny books. So I wanted to know if I can see 'em and the pictures from your time!"

"Fair enough," she agreed, but then she frowned. "But you need to ask me for now on, okay Shippo?"

"Gotcha."

She set the kid down and passed Inuyasha a meaningful glance, mentally daring him to continue his previous scuffle with the demon child. When he merely snorted and sat back on his haunches, she bypassed him and rummaged through her bag. She ran a head-count of her books and flipped through her science tome, and then shook her head in distaste.

"Maybe," she turned towards Shippo, who eagerly awaited her response. "-Maybe I'll bring something else for you to look through. I don't think I have anything here that'll be exciting enough for you to see. My books are mostly words; not pictures."

The fox smiled, and then, "Okay, well. Could you tell me about you then?"

Kagome hugged the fox to herself again, going back to their fire and briefly stoking the flames. Inuyasha returned to his seat across from her with a huff and proceeded to rip open the bag of chips she gave him earlier. Inuyasha then pivoted one ear backward, and glowered as Myoga finally returned to their campsite. Just as the flea settled himself, the girl went on.

"I'm not _that_ exciting." she mused, ignoring Inuyasha's derogatory comment he muttered to himself. She was getting quickly used to his bitter banter, more or less knowing it wasn't truly intentioned. Sometimes. "I think I'd rather hear about you and what you did before we met anyways." She gave Shippo a tentative smile this time, "If its not to painful for you, that is."

"I can tell ya," he said with some level of mischief in his eyes. "But how about we make it a game instead?"

Kagome blinked, "Huh? How do you figure we can play?"

"Well, how about I say something about myself, like my favorite color for example, and then you say respond in kind," he gestured a little, his hand waving a bit to emphasize his point. "Like, my favorite color is green. What's yours?"

"Hmm... Pink. I think." _Considering my entire bedroom, why not?_

"Okay, so now you ask me something next, and the person who answers last gets to change the subject."

Kagome wondered about this, and thought maybe there was a riddle game mixed into this somewhere, but quickly dismissed it. "Okay," she said, fully aware of the elder demon and hanyou nearby. "How old are you?"

Shippo flashed some fingers and seemed to lose count of something, but then, "In demon years or human years?"

This question baffled Kagome. So she tried with some uncertainty, "Uh, demon years then?"

"Oh, okay... in human years to demon... if I hafta translate it..." He trailed off, seemingly doing some rudimentary math in his head. "Lemme see. I think I'm physically five to you. Five-ish?"

"You don't sound so sure," Kagome shook her head.

Shippo carelessly shrugged. "Doing human years to demon years is weird. Its like when you humans measure how old a dog feels-" Inuyasha harruphed nearby, but Shippo ignored him of course. "-Like if you say a dog is seven, he's middle-aged or something. Am I wrong?"

 _Maybe this was a bad question to ask._ "Something like that," the girl resonded with a pensive nod.

"Right, so I'm five!"

The next thing Kagome wondered was how old the boy in front of her _really_ is, seeing how his words and general language seemed better mannered than she thought capable for an obvious youngster. Souta, her younger brother, was older technically, but he didn't act like his age a lot of the time. If anything, whenever Shippo acted a certain way, she couldn't help but wonder how he could behave better than Inuyasha. He was, by this era's reckoning, considered an adult; and yet he acted like an under-developed, hare-brained, peevish brat.

"Okay," she stated noncommittally in an effort to move the confusing subject along. "Your turn."

"How old are you, Kagome?"

"Fifteen," she supplied easily. "What's your favorite time of day?"

A grin was her first answer, "Any part of the day that I'm with you!"

"Awwwww. Oh my god that's so sweet!"

Just as she once again hugged and adored the small kitsune, Inuyasha made a noise between a cough, gag, or laugh. Kagome didn't know which noise was which, but she figured it was his sound of disdain and dismissed it.

"So, what about your favorite time of day?" Shippo tried.

"Hmm. I seem to change my mind a lot, but I think my favorite right now is dusk. All the pretty pinks and blues and the stars that barely peak through are nice," Kagome replied demurely. "What do you do for fun?"

Shippo clapped his hands in excitement, "Making new tricks to try on Inuyasha! Or napping."

An audible "Hey!" arose nearby, but again the duo ignored the surly hanyou. Instead, Kagome merely giggled and shifted her weight on her knees as she pondered her next question.

"So what do you do for fun?" Shippo flicked his tail, truly getting into this game.

Kagome had to think about this for some reason, seeing how her time was usually spent studying or walking nowadays. She paused, and then, "I think it was shopping before I came here. I didn't do much for fun other than school and putting up with Inuyasha."

"I'm still HERE ya know!"

Again, they pretended said half-demon didn't exist. Kagome was actually starting to really enjoy herself, learning more about the fascinating creature sitting bundled in her thin arms.

"What's your favorite food?" Kagome asked next.

"Your food! especially your candy," Shippo excitedly squirmed as he said this. "How about you?"

Kagome pressed a hand to her chin and wondered. "I think my mama's udon or soba was good. Her special dumplings she makes for holidays are probably the sweetest runner-up."

Shippo cocked his head to one said, his eyes too pure and sweet for this world, Kagome inwardly thought. "Uh, hall-low-days?" He inquired.

Kagome looked between him and Inuyasha, who had apparently finished his chips at some point during their conversation. She wasn't sure if he was really listening at this point or not, but she decided on trying to best word this for the child in front of her. The girl then replied, "Holidays are special times to celebrate special events, and they vary from place to place. There's so many holidays, I can hardly think of where to begin. Personally, I always loved the New Year's Holiday myself, for example."

"What's that?"

Kagome smiled serenely, setting herself back on her buttocks and letting her mind roam. "A day that allows you to banish the woes of yesteryear, if I'm waxing on poetic. You can make resolutions to change yourself, and make the oncoming new year better. You can celebrate it with family, and eat lots of food. Now that I think about," she laughed. "Most Holidays seem to involve lots of various foods and drinks and partying. Like festivals."

"Ohhhh," Shippo nodded with a seemingly knowing glint.

"Don't you celebrate birthdays?" Kagome had to ask.

"Birthdays? What're those?"

 _I guess that answers my previous question._

The middle-schooler merely shrugged it off. "Never mind," she smirked. "I'm just finding it hard to believe how different this era is from my own."

"No kidding," Inuyasha grumbled close by.

The group glanced at him and then focused back on Kagome again, Myoga listening rather aptly and Shippo going through yet another questionnaire. In a way, it was simply a game of twenty questions but the girl didn't care. Even so, Kagome couldn't help but wonder more and more about the demonic company she was surrounded by the more she absorbed Shippo's replies.

Once Shippo seemed happy with the game, he curled close to the fire and went to fill a cup of tea himself, leaving Kagome's lap in the process. The teenager however turned towards Inuyasha and said, "Hey Myoga, you got a minute?"

Seemingly too happy to ditch his master, the flea jumped onto Kagome's shoulder, settling himself rather neatly. "Does something trouble you?" He inquired.

Kagome looked between him and the rest of her company, her mind a blaze of queries ranging on all kinds of subjects; and all regarded the very same thing in nature: Demons and half demons in general.

"No, no. I was wondering," she mumbled at first. "Maybe you can tell me a little more about demons?"

The flea seemed to tilt his head to one side at this, "And where, pray tell, would you want me to start? There's so much to know, and you would have to be a bit more specific. I'd be here for the rest of your living days trying to explain it all to you."

Kagome heard a loud groan from Inuyasha next; and apparently the earlier topics broached were enough to encourage him to walk off in scathing boredom. He was heard grumbling about stupid wenches and too many questions before leaping off.

 _Finally_ , she thought. _I was hoping he'd get irritated enough to leave._

He wouldn't be gone long though; this she knew. All things considered, he probably needed a piss break and decided to tear down some trees for the fun of it. So, Kagome instead redirected her thoughts to the very thing that had fascinated her most since when she first met him, "Actually Myoga, I wanted to know more about Inuyasha. Don't get me wrong; I wanna know more about demons too, but we might as well capitalize on his absence." She smirked smugly at that.

Myoga chuckled, his little shoulders bobbing lightly, "Well well. I suppose there's no harm in that. But what brought this on, if I may ask."

"The night of the new moon," She replied in answer. Her next words were short and huffy, "It just got me thinking that if there's anything else I needed to know about Inuyasha that needed to be mentioned, I'd like to know before it nearly gets us all killed."

 _And maybe learn more about him in general. I've never met anyone with such issues._

Myoga nodded sagely, his mustache wiggling, "Ah. I see your point. But I assure you, master Inuyasha doesn't have so many secrets that are as detrimental to the mission."

"Really?"

"Hmm. Yes," he nodded. "But others are more or less his buisiness to share, if you don't mind."

"I understand. Just tell me what you can."

Shippo seemed to tune in at that, and said nothing as he munched on another of Kagome's snacks.

Myoga coughed importantly, and then began:

"Our esteemed master here may not seem like it, but his upbringing is one of important stature. Many would be loathe to admit it, and yet even more are likely to simply kill him for it, such as Lord Sesshoumaru as you've seen; but my master Inuyasha is of aristocratic origin. Between his noble mother and the late lord, he was raised in a household that began to fall into impoverished times due to the grim nature of his birth. And by grim, I mean what was considered a devasting travesty."

Kagome leaned in, thoroughly enraptured by this fact. Shippo did much of the same nearby. "What was his father's name?" she pressed.

"His title is better known to all demons and any human warlord who dwelled within his domain; and its one that held much prestige during his tenure in the western lands." Myoga loftily stated. "Inu no Taisho, as you can guess, isn't his real name. He usually kept it to himself, I suppose for strategic benefit or for whatever reasons he may have. He grew rather reluctant to introduce himself so informally with time. However," Myoga's large eyes seemed to arrest on Kagome's countenace with a interest she couldn't discern. "-Considering your companionship to Lord Inuyasha, I believe you're entitled to know!"

 _Oh gee. How flattering._

"Well? What was it?"

Shippo's tail flicked as he absorbed this information, keeping his mouth profoundly shut as Kagome inquired.

So said the little flea, "His name, was Lord Toga of the deep West. The few who knew his name where but a handful at some point. And Izayoi, other than yourself, was one of the last to know."

Kagome nodded, "Tell me about her. I don't think I've got much to go by other than the fake Sesshoumaru used."

Myoga gestured dismissively, his own contempt of the act glaring. "-Well, if its any consolation, the Un-mother wasn't so different than Lady Izayoi in some ways. She was just as protective of the young lord. His mother, as you know, did what she could to make the young master's life the best she can manage in the wake of the destruction of her former house. However-" Myoga's knowing gaze became somber, his eyes heavy. "Her life was cut short sooner than we would've expected. I wouldn't be surprised if it was foul play, seeing how she mothered a half-demon. I can only guess. She still had many years ahead of her."

"That's terrible," Kagome mouthed, not noticing her hand migrating to her chin in shock.

A sigh, "Indeed. I was away when it happened, and was not made aware of it until I happened to check in. To my surprise, I found the home ruled by yet another nobleman, a pretender to the house of Izayoi; and with no master Inuyasha in sight. With the exception of my master, all within Izayoi's noble family had passed, and their only heir was Inuyasha himself. As it were, you and I could only guess that the family and servants wouldn't want a half-demon presiding over them. At any rate, I began to wonder what happened to him and went in search." Myoga paused here to drink his tea. With a long draught behind him, he said, "But as it were, master Inuyasha would spend quite a majority of his life in imposed solitude; and my search went in vain for quite some time. No village really tolerated him, and never for long periods. He hasn't had many kindnesses shown to him since the late Izayoi."

Sadness clenched at Kagome, heaviness dragging at her heart. "How long ago was this?" She asked, wondering indeed how long Inuyasha was in what she presumed was exile.

"Hmm. How old is the master again...?" Myoga moved an under-sized palm under his head and seemed to count. "Ah. If I were to exclude the fifty years he was under that spell, and if he was born in I think the Kamakura period... I'd say he's... hum. Some one-hundred fifty years old by now. So he's been largely alone for one-hundred and thirty of it or more in total. Maybe. Probably?"

 _One hundred and fifty! No way!_

"Whoa whoa whoa!" kagome flailed her arms, awed at the fact that Inuyasha was indeed old enough to be her grandfather's grandfather. "How old can he be before he starts looking like a geezer? And seriously, that's more demon-like than human." _And yet... Has he really been alone for that long?_

Myoga only seemed amused by the girl's rather forward comments, chuckling at that. "The master seemed to inherit the best of his father's attributes in some manner. He could easily live for another five hundred or more," He supplied. "Given he isn't struck down during his human nights. He's quite vigilant during those you see; because he hasn't ever slept during those times in all those years, until he met you of course."

"Wow," Kagome shook her head, flabber-gasted by this insight into the hanyou's life. "Just, wow."

Myoga continued, "Mind you, lord Inuyasha keeps his personal life to himself, and I haven't the foggiest on what he did or whom he met in his solitude. I would find him and attempt to keep his company, but after so long, he preferred his isolation in part... That is, until he met Kikyo."

Kagome frowned at that, but she just couldn't figure why.

"-Anyways, I wouldn't know of the details from henceforth; other than the obvious," the flea demon noticed that he ran out of tea and turned his cup over, squinting somewhat. He settled again and concluded with, "But we all know that the few times he's ever extended any courteous gesture to anyone, it usually back-fired. He's saved people, hurt others, killed more than he cares to admit, and ended up under a sleeping spell for all eternity despite his troubles. If I had to say anything miss Kagome, _you_ are probably the kindest person he's met in such a long time, that it confuses him. He simply doesn't know how to act after such an ordeal."

"I can only imagine," she murmured to herself.

Shippo suddenly bounced into the girl's lap, his jade green eyes almost watery. He seemed just as troubled by the story as Kagome was at first, until he said, "Well its no wonder he has the manners of a back-wards, brain-dead, cross-eyed donkey with maggots in its ears. I actually feel kinda bad for him-"

 _BAM._

Shippo was suddenly sent flying into the sun and Myoga was a flattened mess in-betwixt the talon-tips of his earlier subject, glittering bronze a frigid sheet of cold malice arrested upon his targets.

 _"Mind saying that to my FACE?"_ He uttered in a poisonous underone.

"Oh! Inuyasha!" kagome jolted, having not heard the guy creeping up from behind her.

He finished pulverizing the vassal and then threw him underfoot, grinding his heel over him for good measure.

Kagome gasped at this and planted her hands on her hips in protest, her tone sharp, "Hey! You can't just go around squashing people like that!" The hanyou merely turned towards their fire and dumped the pot of water over it, extinguishing it. "Helllloooo? I'm talking to you," Kagome added just as he turned around.

"We need to get going," The half-demon snorted in a bitter tone. "I think I'm smelling trouble close by."

"Trouble? What trouble? What are you- _HEY!_ "

Inuyasha had unceremoniously tossed all their things into her pack tossed the thing over his shoulder, his eyes hard and flinty. "Get a move on stupid girl. And, forget what'cha heard. I don't want anyone's friggin' _pity_ ," He snarled.

And without a second glance, he began walking briskly away, his brazen audacity stumping the middle-schooler to end. She didn't even have enough to think about 'sitting' the guy before she remembered her bike and went to get it.

She supposed she would have to save the lessons for another day, seeing how Myoga has yet to answer _all_ of her prior questions.

 **-X-**


	3. What She Never Sees

**Author's Note/Disclaimer: Yes I referenced a song the majority of you probably heard. Sue me. I figured it had some connection to what was portrayed here. That kind of beautiful crap belongs to their respective owners.**

 **Anyways, have fun.**

* * *

 **-X-**

Inuyasha loved demon power; its a simple pleasure really. Nothing weird about it. It was all for a good reason as far as he figured; not that anyone seemed to understand it though. They all treated his pursuit of the Shikon Jewel as if it were a bloody fool's errand. As if they'd ever truly understood what kind of living Hell his whole life was! Look at what his lack of it does whenever the New Moon comes around.

Well, fuck them and their contempt. He ain't looking for their approval anyhow.

Youki and its subtle, sometimes flaring static energies made him feel alive; a live-wire of shape and sound and sight that allow him to see the world around him for what it really was: A simple breeze can almost sound like a screaming gale to his sensitive ears; and the painted world around him a plethora of saturated color most humans seem unable to perceive. His nose can scent the faintest aromas from many leagues distant, and even the taste buds on his tongue can detect what his amazing nose could not. Every time he touched a tree, even through his callouses he can detect the individual grains on a sliver of splintered bark, or the tiny invisible birs on a plant's stem. His youki gave him the power to almost fly; to come as close to the heavens as any mortal could dare to hope.

It was all so beautiful, and yet he was horrendously flawed. He was weak. Half. Freak. Monster. Deformed. Even ugly in some ways. People hated his amazing strength, his ears, his careful grace, his generally amazing power. Its like they don't want to be protected! He had this powers for a reason. How many times has he tried to help these lowly humans in the past, and only got burned or insulted for his efforts?

 _Keh. Right. I'm a half-breed after all. And really? Half? Half of what? I'm not neither anyhow. I'm_ _ **me**_ _. They just want a reason to hate me._

 _I don't hate me. I don't._

Inuyasha tried to not give much of a damn; because he knew he wouldn't care to remember shit once he was a certain age _centuries_ from now. But still, thoughts of this manner ensnared and trapped his thoughts in his darkest hours, in nights of total isolation. It was even worse on his human nights; god forbid the crying fit he had almost a century back that lasted mid-way through the miserably moonless veil until dawn. Now that was something he still struggled to forget, and it was something he'd never admit to anyone. He'd never wanted to put voice to those horrid, degrading thoughts he felt that night; afraid that hearing them aloud from his own heart would destroy his fragile sense of resolve. He's tried time and time again to bury them; to strangle every negative feeling he's ever held about himself. He boasted a confidence he lacked, talked a good game, even had the strength to back his words from time to time.

But he was still only _half_ of what he _could_ be. And he knew he couldn't do better, because he was _half_ of two somethings and not a whole of anything else. He was only ever nearest to being whole when he was running. Running from anything just to be free of it. Running running running. Always motion. Safety was found in his constant, thrumming motion; making him feel mentally stable. The bridled sense of liberation was all he had in all those lonely years.

And yet, his lack of wholeness was why his always-unconditional-sweet-love-incarnate mom died. He couldn't detect her danger quick enough; he couldn't find that poison in her favorite tea with his nose, because he was only half-powered. _"Half-demon half-power"_ he remembered Yura say, his soured bitterness towards the memory made his teeth grind.

May the stupid gods keep his precious mother's soul safe from harm, and hold it in eternal peace. Since they deigned to do nothing else for Inuyasha and his flurry of trouble, they could at least make damn sure his mom was happy in the after life. Otherwise, he'd felt inclined to float his ass up to their lofty gates and kick their rears so hard that they'd feel safer and less pain burning in _all_ the layers of Hell instead.

 _Stupid gods. No wonder I've stopped believing in them. Fuck 'em and all of their high-and-mighty shit._

For the moment, the hanyou was merely lounging about, taking a small break with his... well, wannabe friends. _Or whatever they are. Keh._

The dappled shade sprinkled filtered beams in and through the deluge of green and lime, the acidic snap of humidity hot on his tongue and body. Twittering-stupid-pitched bird song carried on lazy currents of air swishing around his velvety ears. The gentle, ginger aroma of _that_ weird-temperamental-wild-cat girl was cloying around his wet nose, her contented song a sweet cadence a flutter on the afternoon breeze. The auburn-woodsy-loud-kit's higher-pitched, annoying, grating tune, which was a note or two off joined with hers; and the dazzling array of pungent, cooking aromas snapped at his tongue when his nose was distracted with Kagome's fragrant scent.

The newest member of their party was Miroku, the wandering monk whose roving hands seem to be even busier than his feet and eyes combined. Frankly, the bouzu looked around _too_ much; in a too suspicious a manner to boot. His indigo stare was a shade off from pure onyx, and possessed a whimsical, yet heavy quality that concealed his uncanny wit and masterfully concealed fears. He was supposed to have his head shaved or something; Inuyasha thought monks were bald because of some part of their practice; hell if he knew what. But it goes to show that Miroku had an almost delinquent manner in which he regarded his own faith; seeing how he contented himself with eating various meats the hanyou caught. Wasn't he supposed to be a vegetarian?

The man was also young, barely much older than Kagome by 3 winters if Inuyasha had to guess, but his spiritual prowess was something even he had to reluctantly acknowledge. Especially after the idiot had managed to help them deal with a lowly artist with a jewel shard _very_ recently. So recently, the hanyou was _still_ snorting out that repugnant stench of ink and blood even a couple days after it happened.

 _Fucking HELL._

It wasn't like he needed Miroku's actual help or anything. At this point the bouzu was useful for getting shelter and crafty care, his information regarding Naraku giving Inuyasha a new sense of purpose. He was able to guard Kagome whenever he himself could not; and his cursed wind tunnel made most lowly demons turn the other way. He was useful. Nothing more.

Nope.

He _definitely_ didn't need his help or anything.

Inuyasha watched the bastard-sometimes-horny-smelling bouzu carefully, his bronzed gaze locked onto the other man's hands. He didn't like the guy so close to Kagome; not in the _least_. The monk was shifty, and his amorous tendencies always caused the sweet-flower-scented-idiot to scream and jerk; making Inuyasha's talons itch. And boy, did his claws itch something _dreadful_. So much so, he had to place both hands behind his head to keep himself from the insistent need to crack and pop his knuckles. He leaned against the tree he sat on, gazing guardedly over the newly established picnic fragrant-herb-smelling Kagome had insisted on.

 _Seriously. Why does her scent do this to me? I can't say Kikyo's scent was ever this... this... loud. Loud? Is that right?_

He harrumphed; his snort audible enough to catch the girl's eye. She turned her face towards his own, her smile faint but real. She was amused by something the hanyou didn't seem to catch, only irking him. She always seemed too happy; and it creeped him out. Her tears made him a boneless, sputtering mess; but her smiles made him fly and rendered him invincible. Her compliments made him confidant where he wasn't before, and her laugh made him howl with delight on the inside. Her anger was bruising, but amusing and fiery enough to match his own. And a part of him wanted to hate her for all of that.

So he looked away.

His bunched his shoulders and swiveled his joints briefly, settling back into place while pivoting his sensitive ears to and fro. He waited for her to call him down, to join their not-so-fun-but-better-than-loneliness-meal. His belly rumbled, his hunger serving to make him even more irritated.

"Great Buddha," he heard the bouzu say. "I never imagined that this world would be our future."

Inuyasha avoided glancing at Kagome, but noted the monk thumbing through the girl's book with excessive, seemingly literate care. His eyes soaked in the knowledge with genuine interest, his mouth curling and curving as he pursed his lips and muttered.

"I know! Isn't it amazing?"

Miroku smiled, his eyes alive with fascination. "Indeed," he nodded sagely. "I never thought mankind would transcend the limits of their abilities and do something as grand as land on the Moon. This is unbelievable."

 _Oh. That again. Feh._

The monk paused at a page, his gaze eager as he soaked in the picture before him of what appeared to be illustrations of jewels, ringed jewels, small jewels and dust...? Again, Inuyasha didn't care. It looked boring, and it had nothing to do with actual jewel shards, so whatever.

"Those planets are what surround our sun, our Earth included," Kagome told him. "As you can see, our world is round; not flat, contrary to popular belief."

 _Planets. Whatever._

"Hmm," Miroku nodded, his mind wandering to places Inuyasha still didn't care to know. "I always thought the maps and charts of our lands seemed a little off. Mind you, I haven't seen much beyond the border's of Japan's seas set in paper, and I never needed to know more during my training as a monk. But this-" He gesticulated towards the heavy tome, his eyes bright. "What a decent scholar wouldn't give for these books of yours!"

Kagome flushed excitedly at this, but the color wasn't as rich as when she truly was invested in something that interested her. "I wouldn't think so," she contradicted. "Don't people burn books and scrolls for blashemy in this era?"

The grin vanished as swiftly as it appeared on Miroku's face, his expression somber. "You're not wrong," he murmured. "Its a far more common practice than I'd like to admit."

The girl sighed, as if expecting this.

"Still," continued the bouzu. "The concept of time travel is what I'm most interested in. How is it that you can achieve this anyways?"

Kagome could only helplessly shrug. "Wish I knew," she replied. "All I know is the sacred properties of the well and the jewel seem linked somehow? Even Kaede couldn't figure it out."

Miroku placed the book aside, nodding as he did. "Any connections come to mind?" he tried as he picked up yet another one of the girl's books- _Math_ or _Al-ge-bra_ whatsit or other.

As for Kagome, again she shook her head. "Define connections."

Miroku licked his thumb and fore-finger and flipped through the tome, his gaze serious. "Similarities," he pointed out. "Do these things seem to hold anything in common to you?"

 _Now what's the bouzu getting at?_

Apparently Kagome wondered the same, her small nose wrinkling. She turned towards their lunch and stirred the make-shift stew they made; ladling up some boiling water from the other pot next to it. She dumped the water into the ramen cup Inuyasha knew had his name on it, the hanyou in question starting a mental count on when the noodles would soften. He licked his lip hungrily, his tongue tasting the air as the stew simmered beneath him.

After this pause, Kagome offered, "Well, don't these things all have sacred or holy properties of one form or another? If that's what ya meant by something in common, then that's all that comes to mind."

Miroku seemed to direct his attention to the back of Kagome's book, and then he migrated back to the chapter he is. He smirked wanly, and then closed the tome and set it too aside. With his hands folded politely in his lap, he said, "And what of the sacred tree? Do you think it too is connected to the well?"

This the girl replied in the affirmative, her nod certain. "The well and Goshinboku are the two most consistent things both eras have. A part of me wants to think that they're linked in a way even the Jewel isn't."

"Perhaps," Miroku replied distantly. "However, the jewel isn't a holy object. It can be tainted by darkness found within the beholder's heart; or be as pure as almost any holy object when its in your hands. Items or things of this nature can be seen as scared regardless of whether they are or aren't holy. When people fear such powers, they respect it; sometimes deeming it sacred. However," Here the monk took pause, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "The well and tree are fundamentally different; giving off a peaceful, cleansing air usually linked to spiritual purity. They struck me as holy artifacts of a different nature. The jewel can never give such a radiant aura."

"What're you getting at?"

The monk squinted, folding arms and leaning against the base of Inuyasha's current tree in pensive reflection. His gaze migrated heavenward, his stare focused, "I'm not sure myself, if I had to be honest... but I'm merely musing aloud here. I can't help thinking there's something we're not seeing, since we're lacking in general information. There's something at play with these objects, whether holy or otherwise, we simply can't glean from mild conjecture."

He seemed to shake it off then, "Alas, I believe that until we can discern anything more, we'll have to put the topic to rest. Forces of this nature usually are beyond the scope of even the most well-informed mind." He placed a hand to his chin in consternation, "And... worse yet, the answers reaped from such questions have a tendency to beguile the mind and beckon trouble of all sorts. Its safer to not know then, at times."

"But you sounded like you were onto something there," Kagome pressed.

Miroku gave a slight shake, his eyes hooded. "Maybe, but again, its guess work at this point. All we can surmise is that the well and tree are more closely linked than we originally ascertain, with the jewel itself being almost something of an outlier. I find it strange enough that Inuyasha can pass through with or without the jewel whereas you couldn't. Who knows?" Miroku beamed at Kagome, his grin almost infectious. "If we can figure this out, maybe me and Shippo can see into your time- given we don't suffer the consequences sown by knowing this information."

Kagome seemed to deflate, despite Miroku's words. "All that for nothing," she muttered.

Inuyasha twitched his nose, his own curiosity burned away once his internal count finished clocking down. He slipped from his perch and softly a lit onto the forest floor, his eyes on the ramen cup. Kagome seemed to know exactly what he wanted; the girl handing him the noodles with a pleasant smile and nod. The half-demon sat down, taking the chopsticks she offered next and prying them apart next. As he began to indulge in the rapid consumption of his new favorite food, Shippo seated himself next to Kagome and held up his small bowl in anticipation of the stew. The group began to eat together in relative silence after-which, and despite what his companions thought, even Inuyasha couldn't help but ponder what was said about the well.

 _Evil can exist even in something as sacred as the jewel. The well devours demon bones and their aura, which seems to influence whatever the well is despite its pure air. Kaede-babaa said somethin' about it warping time and space? Its weird that the tree can resist time too, keeping my body safe while I was under that damned spell._

 _Demonic aura, holy bullshit, and time. Whatsit all mean? How are these things connected?_

Inuyasha decided to let it go after this, his taste buds absorbing every precious ounce of delectable seasoning and spice in the noodles. These kinds of mysteries were above what he usually cared about anyways, seeing how the answers to things of this caliber was what put him in danger a lot of the time nowadays. Maybe some things are better left unanswered.

After all, simple was best, right?

* * *

 **-X-**

Not so long after this, give or take a week, the group happened upon a fairly large tavern that accepted Miroku's bogus story of a dark and evil cloud hanging over them. The old man seemed pretty ecstatic about letting them stay, despite the demonic company the monk had with him. In fact, Inuyasha had been originally suspicious of the geezer; until he realized just how senile and dumbly trusting this brain-dead codger was.

 _Its a wonder this guy is still in business._

The area was mountainous, rugged, and the vegetation sparse. If it wasn't for the perfect, splendid view of the sunset over an open sea on that day, Inuyasha would say that the place wasn't very scenic. Although, it had another blessed feature of having a comfortable little bay where all manner of fisherman had been toiling away, but details aside. It just so happened to be the only place they could stop to really, seeing how there wasn't another village for miles around. Heavens forbid the hanyou says they skip it and continue on their way; leaving Kagome infuriated enough to 'sit' him again and result in her getting her way anyway.

So whatever. Let her have her damn way for all he cared. He didn't feel like throwing out his back again and letting Shippo to rub it in all fucking night; and that damned crooked monk getting under his skin to boot.

The half-demon was toying with his beads for a couple of minutes that night, a fidgety habit he started to indulge in only recently. It started after his numerous attempts to rip the damn things off the first weeks he had them, but then he gave up the endeavor by favoring to twist and toy with the infernal fuck-beads. He suddenly paused, his senses sliding his eyes instinctively over to where he noticed sweet-smelling-Kagome observing his newborn tic. Her doe-brown eyes would dart over to him on occasion, sometimes more often than he noticed or cared, and she'd regard him in an neutral manner that agitated him. He "Feh'd" at her and proceeded to keep silent vigil of their rooms, his eyes wandering the outdoors for any sign of danger until their dinner arrived.

They ate together, the dinner simple and a great affair in general. The rice was good and fresh, but plain compared to that weird food Kagome usually had in her bag. Still, Inuyasha actually didn't feel like complaining; despite the fact he did take some joy out of teasing Kagome and ruffling her feathers on occasion. Her energy was exciting; and such energy was always a magnetic thing that drew him. Not a lot of humans over his one-hundred and fifty years of life (not including the fifty he was sleeping) possessed such vigor; he could literally count on one hand just how many humans were this interesting.

Then again, Kagome was a unique case in some ways; excluding the fact she could in fact travel between eras. This was a revelation Inuyasha had only started to see as of recently: He was truly beginning to see the drastic changes in between she and Kikyo, although it still would be a while yet before his comparisons became yet more contrasts. The result would be he ceasing to compare the two altogether in time.

But not yet. He still had a lot of growing up to do.

He shifted his blade, resting Tetsusaiga against his shoulder and setting a leg out in front of him so to rest an arm on the knee. He took several more whiffs of the air, but detected nothing of malicious intent. With his comrades yammering on around him, he couldn't help but settle a little, his mind drifting elsewhere:

* * *

 **-X-**

 _To the memory of the longer-darker-than-pitch-shadows moonless night; the dreaded scents and aromas of the roving and rampant spider-heads hidden by his pitiful mortal nose, his feeble strength slowly draining away, creeping-death cold lancing its way into his numbed limbs. The coursing, boiling, insidious feel of the demonic toxins spiked his nerves with molten tongues of hell-flame; hot enough to burn his insides into mush. But the heat was soon falling away as his body began to fail; his unrelenting will to live began to evaporate. His oh-so powerful drive to_ _ **fucking live**_ : _It had all but vanished; finally deserting after all these freaking years. Gone!_

 _GONE._

 _His one purpose, to defy the odds that set him into constant thrumming motion; that drove him to extremes that would otherwise destroy weaker-willed half-demons. The will to live, to fight, to survive, gone._

 _But then, a new fire burned within. From what, he didn't know at first. This was a tangling, twisting, writhing, roiling ball of flame that seered; white-hot and almost incandescent when_ _ **she**_ _came; to shed her tears for him. To cry for him, when no one else did. This inferno was a blazing color of emotion, and it came from somewhere within his breast when she risked her scrawny human neck for him. When she could've died, trying to tear him free of the ugly spider-bastard-priest's web; but still she tried._

 _She reached out, her salty-eye-water a glittering torrent deluge on her face._

 _And then he felt his sight flicker in out; and the next thing he knew, he was in the safe room with Kagome, Nazuna, Shippo, and Myoga-jijii. His breathe shallowed out; and his inner fire simmered to a non-existent heat that ebbed away as his life attempted to escape him. He always knew he'd be killed during one of his human nights; and he'd be hard-pressed to say that he didn't picture this kind of scenario; among a dozen others._

 _He heard Myoga blabbering something, felt a prickling-pain in his neck, but then that corrosive hell-heat from the toxins all but disappeared. His body then felt cold; hopelessly, desperately, stupid cold in the aftermath of the poison. The frigid vice of death nipped at his heels, but it was chased away as he felt her fingers suddenly ghost across his sweat-soaked face. Her touch seered against him, stirring him back from the brink._

 _Kagome dabbed his face gingerly, her fingers a lingering caress that brought his consciousness forth as he opened his eyes. She withdrew, as if surprised to see him awake at all. Her expression was sweetly guilty, remorseful,_ _ **worried to death**_ _of him..._ _ **For him.**_

 _But why? Why her? Why now? Shouldn't she not care? Didn't he always hurt her feelings? Insult her intelligence? Constantly complained of her? Even Kikyo had never been this openly emotional; how can the two be at all similar?_

 _"Sorry," she automatically apologized. "Did I wake you?"_

 _Inuyasha wasn't sure if he frowned or not, because feeling his body and its motions right now felt alien, all things considered. But, he ended up measuring the girl looming above him; her expression sincere, morose._

 _"N-no," he gasped, barely finding the strength to answer._

 _He turned his head to look away, feeling shitty for these intrusive thoughts; thoughts he never pondered in his hanyou form. Its not to say he_ _ **never**_ _thought of her feelings per se, but its fair to say he never thought about them_ _ **enough**_ _. He was a prick that way, but it was all he knew. And yet, seeing her meandering guilt over something as lowly as waking him, touching him; the act within itself deemed filthy according to nature, it seemed to fill her with sadness; not disgust. His pain was cause for her lament; the strangest thing in his little world. And yet it was this sorrow he could never look in the eye; he fought this melancholy all the damn time._

 _This said, he muttered so low, "Kagome. Why we're you..." He drew in a breath, as deep as he could manage before it hurt to breathe any deeper. "Why we're you crying?"_

 _Kagome jerked, a subtle motion. "Huh? Uh, well... I thought... I thought you were going to..." She paused here, her words dreaded. "-I didn't want to see you... die."_

 _His heart clenched at her soft-spoken words; almost a silent plea. It made him wonder just how much he meant to her, and why she never thought to desert him despite his cruel callousness. They hadn't even known each for that long yet, and still she saw fit to risk herself for his stupid ass._

 _It opened his eyes, even just a little at the time. "You've shed tears for me," he wondered a loud, his gaze blurry as he tried to focus on the girl beside him. "Cried for me."_

 _For a short time afterwards, they were silent as grave stones, the ruckus caused by the angry spider youkai outside their shabby shield the only back-ground noise. It was distant to Inuyasha's mortal ears, but the reverberations were more noticeable than the sound anyhow. Nonetheless, these were merely fleeting distractions as he weighed Kagome's actions, somewhat dazed by her boldness to assist him. He wondered so much in fact, he wanted to put it to test; despite their grizzly situation._

 _He huffed, "Kagome?"_

 _"Hmm?"_

 _He hesitated for only a second; not daring himself to think more of it before he lost his nerve. He fought the need to stutter as he breathed, "I-if its not too much trouble... could I lie on your lap?"_

 _He thought he went too far at this request, seeing how her initial silence was something he perceived as reluctance. In actuality, it was surprise that gripped her, and not revulsion as Inuyasha first thought. Her almost inaudible "hmm" was his first reply before she went to gently move herself into place. Inuyasha felt her hands seer their warmth into his chilled skin as she touched him, and it stirred some sensation in him: an old and foreign thing he couldn't identify. He forsake thought and let himself relax some, closing his eyes as his body began to throb; whether from aches or his own heartbeat he wasn't sure._

 _"Is this okay?" Kagome whispered._

 _Inuyasha hummed in response, his wound-up tension seeping from him in waves; even more so when the girl rested her hand in his ebony hair and began to thread her delicate fingers through his locks. The last time he felt like this was when his mother held him so very long ago, and the fleeting memory of it filled him with temporary grief. But he let it go as he moved his head some, taking in the lightest of smells from Kagome's body. Sleep drugged his usual inhibitions and lowered them, his thoughts suddenly audible._

 _"Kagome? You smell kinda nice," he thoughtlessly whispered, feeling an odd lack of regret or embarrassment at this admittance._

 _Suddenly the girl jolted and bit, "Whoa whoa. I thought you made it a point before that you said you hated my scent?"_

 _Inuyasha almost sighed at his, wondering at his own stupidity for the first time; and not for the last in the time to come. "I did," he murmured even lower than before. He then blearily trailed off with, "But I was lying."_

 _It was then, with her sweet aroma still filling his weakened nose with its calming fragrance, was what ultimately lulled him to painless sleep. His mind fogged and blackened; and he almost thought he could hear the secretive, hushed lullabies his mother once sang to him in isolated bliss. It echoed in the distance, its spell a woven promise of unending endearment from the one who would never let him be alone again. To the one who would never judge his looks, but his heart; and love it as it was._

 _"~Child of mine~" she once purred, her melody a warm, remembered embrace that beheld him in all his loneliest hours. "~Your future is bright~"_

* * *

 **-X-**

And that was a something Inuyasha never thought he'd recall until a fuck-ton of poison and cold agony befuddled his stupid, pain-addled brain.

His mother, she always did her damnest to assure him. Maybe his life did suck, but surely she meant this? He had... friends. Maybe Miroku not so much... yet. Myoga was friendly enough, but a bleeding, gutless coward with hardly any loyalty. Shippo was a pain in the ass, but Kagome... Well, he just had that gut feeling. Even now, he wondered if it was from this moonless event that had Kagome being a touch gentler with him nowadays. Her sit commands weren't as frequent, and her reaction towards his misplaced fits were aloof at times. Its not perfect, but some sort of budding friendship was there. It was small and fragile, but more than he had ever since he first met her.

After all, he did almost kill Kagome not so long ago; and yet, the fact that she's choosing to stand beside him was speaking in volumes of her character. He couldn't help but wonder if she could continue being as she is, or grow to hate him in some way. It was inevitably an idea he didn't want to entertain. A little part of him wanted to foolishly hang to the belief that she wasn't that kind of person to just up and leave him behind. Kagome was a hot-head with a temper to match his own, but she was unafraid of him; unashamed. Why else would she permit a lowly, weakened hanyou to rest and recuperate on her lap when they were cornered like sheep to the slaughter?

 _Well, then again, maybe she's only sticking around and tolerating me because of the jewel._ He hoped he was wrong of course, but he just had no way of knowing for sure until he experienced yet more battles with her. Trial by fire was the saying he felt deemed the circumstance most appropriate.

"Inuyasha?"

Said hanyou looked up, his nose twitching as his ponderous musings ceased. "What'cha want?" He barked.

Kagome eye-balled him in scrutiny, her gaze reserved. She asked, "You've been kinda quiet this whole evening. Is something wrong?"

The hanyou harrumphed and pulled Tetsusaiga closer, his nose up in the air again despite his feeling like a hopeful sissy ( _and where the exact fuck did he get 'hopeful' from?_ ). Dwelling on his previous brush with death wasn't a manly thing he figured; it was human sentimentality that made him feel weak in the knees. That said, he decided to man up in his usual way; by trying to start something with the girl.

His mustered what little of his petty ire he could, forcibly trying to shove away the memory. "Just peachy," he retorted in his usual bluster, recalling her previous words that he'd almost missed while he'd been dazed. With a peevish twitch of the brow he added, "Funny how you seem to praise Miroku for getting us this room despite the trouble I go through providing for your weak human asses out there in the wilderness."

 _See. I've been paying attention. Stupid... Kagome._

His sudden turn of 'girl' to aforementioned name made him inwardly wince. Thankfully, the middle-schooler hadn't noticed. Still, Kagome seemed to have at least observed Inuyasha's clumsy attempt at an incoming spat; choosing not to rise to the bait. "Touchy touchy," she tutted with no actual bite. "Don't tell me you're upset over us being here?"

"Keh!"

"I don't care who did what," Shippo threw in. "As long as its got us good food, I ain't complaining!"

Kagome seemed amused by the fox's good cheer, smiling rather brightly herself despite Inuyasha's growing agitation. He wordlessly moved his hands into his sleeves again nonetheless, Kagome shaking her head and settling on her legs with a content sigh. Not not long after that, Inuyasha caught the noise of Miroku's somewhat heavier footfalls down the hall. Reflexively, the dog-like ears on his head moved in conjunction to the bouzu's movement as he made his way back to their room.

"Everything to your liking, my friends?" He politely greeted.

Kagome's smile remained as she said, "Yup. How'd the exorcism go?"

"Well enough," came the reply, but the bouzu's eye glinted with something that brought suspicion to Inuyasha.

 _Hey. Wait a sec. That reminds me!_

Suddenly, said hanyou migrated over to where the monk had sat, laying his metal staff beside him. He leaned in and deliberately got into the other man's face; hoping to ruffle his feathers. "Now hold on," he started in an accusatory tone. "Every friggin' time we come by some of the nicest inns in _any_ village, you mutter somethin' about some dark clouds and we end up staying there. The fuck is this really about anyways?"

"Oh? You've noticed that didn't you?" Miroku smirked as he calmly regarded his half-demon ally. His subtle smile became a full-blown shit-eating grin, "Ah well. You know what they say; a little ruse here and there doesn't hurt anyone!"

"WHAT?"

Kagome shook her head with a level expression of reserved indifference, "You mean a little white lie?"

"Yes, whatever that is," the monk nodded congenially.

The girl rolled her eyes, but she certainly wasn't complaining. She really couldn't remember the full expression right now, but her point was taken no less. As for Inuyasha, he suddenly felt the violent impulse to give the conniving monk a set of lumps big enough to be mistaken for other heads.

But before he could follow up on it, a darkened sensation scorched at his instincts; raising the finer hairs on the back of his neck. His ears flickered madly, and then a random blast of sinister wind smothered their candle light just as he turned his head. The smell carried upon it was one thing; but then the trembling rafters above his head were something else entirely.

"W-what was that?" Shippo was latched onto Kagome again, his tail a quivering russet blur.

"Whatever it is," Inuyasha felt his blood start to heat in tangible excitement. "It's big!" The youki that he was picking up wasn't threatening to him; it merely suggested a break in his pained monotony. _Alright_ , he bristled, his lips quirking into that lop-sided leer.

"I agree," The bouzu acknowledged. "Let's run for it."

"Hey-wait-whoa- _WHAT_?" Inuyasha shot the ass of a monk a sour glare. "The _HELL_ you mean 'run'?! I ain't runnin' from nuthin!"

The bastard-pervy-priest scoffed, "Well if its indeed big, then I believe a strategic escape is preferable. I'd rather not resort to possible violence in the case it proves true. Besides-" He gesticulated animatedly, and concluded with a hasty, "It's impossible, its immoral... It's against my religion."

"...You outta be arrested," Inuyasha uttered, shocked by this cowardly turn-a-round. He wasn't an expert on houshi practices, but he'd seen enough of them in his lifetime to know that Miroku was a delinquent smart-ass who never always practices what he preaches.

 _He's no pacifist. He just doesn't want to put in the extra effort. Worthless, lazy, freaking turn-coat._

Kagome suddenly supplied, "I sense a jewel shard!" She rose to her feet, her expression the odd mixture of glazed concentration; if that's what one would call it. Her eyes arrested on the boys across from her as she added, "And its coming at us, really quickly!"

And now this fight was _exactly_ what he'd been itching for almost all evening; with the added bonus of a Shikon shard that shot energy into the restless hanyou's body. Inuyasha was on his feet in an instant, "Well, ain't that a surprise. They've never brought us the shards before!"

Miroku didn't share his friend's eagerness at first, but the development seemed to turn his tune around. "Indeed. If there's really a jewel shard in it for us, then I believe I can make an exception!"

And then he was out those doors quicker than the hanyou thought possible.

"What the actual fu- Hey wait! That one's mine!" Inuyasha howled, rushing after the monk with both Shippo and Kagome in tow.

 _And again_ , he couldn't help but think at the back of his mind; his stomach churning and flipping in ways that baffled him. Kagome's footfalls sounded behind him, fairly close as she attempted to stay questionably close to him. _She's following me into yet more potential danger. What's with her and danger anyhow? Why does she do this?_

 _Why?_


	4. My Reason, My Strength

**This is a true enough drabble I suppose. Sorry if its so short. Also, this is a moment that happens in the manga, shockingly enough. A lot of the manga is actually the inspiration for this fic. I guess that's the whole purpose. Feh.**

 **Enjoy it anyways.**

* * *

 **-X-**

Inuyasha could only wince in pain; his body's endurance stretched well past its limits due to his recent battle with Rouyakan. He ignored it of course, seeing how it wasn't the physical pain that was dragging him down.

As he ruminated on his most recent encounter, he couldn't help but think of Kikyo after having met blood-murderer-Naraku himself in the rancid flesh mere minutes ago. The dreaded weight of an unnecessary sacrifice fifty years back had pulled on the majority of his numbed senses where his wounds didn't.

Although, they were still very severe indeed; and they desperately needed some level of attention despite his general durability: the skin-deep abrasions and burns that marked almost every one of his extremities has healed in large part, leaving only vague impressions that wanted to resemble badly scabbed scars (no thanks to Sesshoumaru's toxic acids) as they healed over the last few days. His torso throbbed with a very different story. His guts still felt very much holier than thou, thank you very much; and the regeneration couldn't have been anymore literally, painfully _slower_. The first few days had him coughing up blood and bile and whatever food he'd ingested as it is; a nasty affair that he felt embarrassed for despite the surprisingly unerring support of Miroku, Shippo, and Kaede.

 _Fucking Sesshoumaru and his crap. I'll rip him a new one next time I see 'im._

At any rate, he arrested his attention in some part back to the aftermath of Kikyo's resurrection very few weeks ago instead; his thought process taking such a drastic turn at that second, it utterly baffled him. He couldn't believe just how relieved he was to see Kagome's smile despite the ferocity of her pre-incarnation's malice; the fact that no matter what the undead priestess did, Kagome's blessed fortitude remained steadfast.

At the conclusion of Inuyasha's meeting with the tragic victim of happen-stance, he'd went to Kagome and began his trek back to Kaede's village with a rather morose air. It was then he'd looked to Kagome for comfort; without knowing he was seeking it. When she replied in kind, her face brightening at his concern, he finally realized what he was only now wordlessly acknowledging: That he always liked Kagome's smile; and he wanted to see it more than her temper. It was a ponderous notion, only though he hadn't known until recently.

Not until now, he should say.

He sensed Kagome's immediate intention like it was a well-honed sixth sense; detecting that her lovely fragrance had navigated over to the well in the short span of his mental wanderings. It shocked him really, seeing how she only just now got here after he figured he sent her away permanently. The growing danger of this world was something he feared would eventually catch up to the girl, but when he enacted on his desire to 'protect' her by hurling back to her era, his strength diminished into _fucking nothing_. But the instant she returned, it was as if a proverbial fog has lifted.

He had never finished a fight so quickly until he smelled her. She'd practically saved him from the danger simply by _being_ there; and he'd by _damned_ before he let her leave his fragile little world of darkness and monsters and isolation and jewels. His mind was made up; and he planned to talk her into staying despite his earlier stupidity.

Suddenly, he was on the ground and bolting over to the girl before she could even so much as touch the well. In a flash he was at her side, his tattered haori a ragged crimson tail carelessly tangled on Tetsusaiga's hilt trailing behind him. His breath was short; his gut wound stressing his diaphragm to the freaking _max_ by straining against his chest with each inhale. His usually guarded expression was lowered, his eyes displaying whatever he hoped could possibly explain what words couldn't.

Kagome turned, hearing his steps coming to rest barely a yard from her. Sitting on the lip of the well, wordlessly regarding the blood-soaked hanyou before her; her confusion and worry glaring in her doe-eyes. Before she could utter a word, he was talking quicker than he thought. It wasn't so much emotional pain as it was the physical in this instance; honest to whoever the fuck was god or Buddha or _fucking high and mighty_ he was a gasping blood-caked mess with little to no breath. Miasma added into the mix made talking all the more difficult for him; a man with few, if any 'colorful' words.

"Oi," he panted, fighting his damned fatigue. "You're going already, huh?"

"Inuyasha?" Her damn face was an open window here. He could see her doubt and concern and friendship and _what-the-fuck-else_ written all over her.

"Will you come back again?" His words were almost a plea considering the injured quality of his tentative tenor. He fought the need to step closer as well, watching her face for anything specific; whatever defined _specific_ anyway.

"Eh..." Kagome was at a loss, and he knew somehow that he disarmed her. Not that it was surprising considering their last conversation altogether.

Still, paranoid of saying something stupid, and feeling rather embolden by his need to be honest, he pressed on; half-afraid of hearing her answer as well. "You see," he continued while wondering where in the many layers of hell he got the nerve to say the following. "I thought that... well, no matter how far away you were, I'd be okay fighting these battles without you being there. I didn't want you hurt by bastards like _Sesshoumaru_ ," he spat the name as he explained. "But, truth is... when I saw your face, and detected your, uh, smell... It was then for some reason, my strength returned. I couldn't beat that freakin' wimpy demon until you came."

He fought the instinctual need to look away; his words were becoming yet harder to summon as he went on. "Look," he sighed, frustrated with himself. "What I'm saying is, I want you here. I want you by my side, Kagome. I thought I couldn't fight the way I want too before, but now..." He shook his head, his agitated feelings beginning to coil upon themselves like writhing serpents. "-Its only with you here that I realize I can fight at my best. I guess."

He would've put his hands into his sleeves if he could, but he kept the limbs at his side in this instance. He kept his amber coals for eyes on her, gauging her expressions and seeing just how effective this direct approach was.

Suddenly she was in his personal bubble, the bubble in question having shrunk at some point during his time with her. She was barely hand spans from his face, her eyes glassy, but never showing a tear otherwise.

"Let's get you patched up," she gently smiled, her simple words the balm that cleansed the destructive fires of his soul.

And it was as he looked at her then, with her annoyingly loud scent, guard-less, boundless steady gaze, and ever steadier hands clasping his own; he truly then understood just how much he needed her by his side. Because without her, without a truly wondrous, ponderous, beautiful, fragile thing like her, he would be nothing. He would have no reason to draw Tetsusaiga, to draw its power, to destroy whatever it was that lay in his path; not without her behind him. To give him the will, the time, the desire.

No.

Even with whatever lay ahead of him, whether it be Kikyo, or Naraku, or whatever the _fuck_ this whole broken distorted pain-fraught world was, he would continue. To endure. To thrive. To spite the world at large that hated him, who sought to take away the most precious things he'd come to cherish. The one thing he would still have even if all else was gone; he would have Kagome.

And that was fine by him.

 **-X-**


	5. The Dedicated, Delinquent Disciple

**-X-**

More time slips on by, but Miroku hardly notices such these days; seeing how he found his current company always so busy and engaging after his many days (months? years?) of self-imposed solitary wandering.

He was a patient man, at times. While others, he couldn't help his hasty impatience brought about by his curse, and his blessed youth. Usually, he lies in wait, an opportunist fortitude combined with the crafty, cowardly mind of a starving con-artist melded with his usual, winsome bravado. This was a mentality that's allowed him to hasten what needed to be done; and it helped that he was a good looking man on the side.

Still, with his time surrounded by the boisterous company of Kagome, Inuyasha, and their child-like companion Shippo, he couldn't help but smile as well as sigh in exasperation. They were all good souls; each misguided in a strangely naive, if not endearing manner:

Shippo of course was a youngster who hasn't had the chance to learn from his fellow kitsune; and his trauma from losing both his parents somewhat reflects on his crude manners towards Inuyasha. Demon children were odd enough already, and although Miroku will not claim to be an expert, he was fully aware of Shippo's rather adept understanding of Kagome. Not to mention his place beside the aforementioned girl; leaving Miroku to sigh in empathy.

He understood the little fox's words and gestures very well; having lost his own family so early on in his own life. Not only did both monk and demon share in this, but they also had surrogates (of a sort) to look after them as their only examples was yet another thing they had in common. Its no wonder the two took to fooling the world around them; manipulating it to their benefit in some manner or other. If Miroku had been born a demon, he's pretty sure he'd be a Kitsune.

 _If I was one in a past life, I wouldn't be surprised,_ He mused.

Kagome was a lovely thing, despite her quirks. She dressed strangely, and a part of him wondered why she never bothered with wearing anything that wasn't her 'uniform'. With even weirder items from her time, said time-travel ability, mixed with an even stranger set of powers that needed to be trained; Miroku sometimes couldn't believe his fortune in getting to know her. Her reiki was uncommonly strong too; and Miroku had no doubt in his mind that she could easily beat the best of many demons had she been raised in the traditional miko manner. In fact, the monk had even taken the liberty of helping Kagome understand how to channel some of it recently; a lesson the girl took sincerely to heart.

Her unfounded intelligence was there as well; she was observant, a people-person, whose aura had a profound comforting effect on her present company. Maybe it was her spiritual powers at work? He didn't know. Not for sure, at first. Not until he noticed with some apparent level of shock just how convincing she could be even to complete strangers wary of her demonic companions.

In one such village they've passed not so long ago, after Inuyasha had healed from Sesshoumaru's injuries, they've encountered a seemingly quaint settlement who bore ill will towards demons at large. They spurned Inuyasha right at the get-go; the farmers raising their tools and glowering at the half-demon that left no room for debate as to what their next goal was. Shippo wasn't exactly an after-thought either; they were about to toss the child some slanderous words regarding Kitsune ilk if hadn't been for Kagome to diffuse the growing hostilities. Her powers flared briefly as the men approached, Shippo having cringed and Inuyasha's ears plastered themselves to his skull. She stood fearlessly between them, man and demon alike, and used her sweet words and shifting reiki to flow up and around her like some sort of invisible shroud. The men obviously can't see it; but they somehow seemed to _feel_ it when it eased away their spiteful stares.

Miroku hadn't exactly been sitting on the sidelines; he'd thought to step in before the men decided to take action but Kagome moved quicker than he in that instance. She was surprisingly swift to come to Inuyasha's aid; and her sincerity showed when she merely asked that if nothing else, mayhaps they could be directed to a village that _could_ tolerate demons. Or something of the sort; Miroku wasn't sure how Kagome worded it but it seemed to work (Miroku usually handled the negotiations). The men actually lowered their weapons, and an elder gentlemen conceded to Kagome's brazen display by relaxing against his rake and almost politely pointing out the nearest village to their own. His smile was tight; forced even, but his manners were there. They'd been coaxed out by Kagome's gentle vibe somehow.

Kagome graciously accepted his words with a grain of salt, and she, daring girl she was, pulled on the men around her as to lead them away. She didn't care that she looked like a possible whore to those villagers, seeing how she was sandwiched between the hanyou and Miroku himself. She didn't care that her touch seemed to linger on Inuyasha as they left, and the men behind her could only mutter about how she should _never_ touch a half-breed at all. She only cared about getting her friends to safety, and she released her hold on Miroku long enough to pat Shippo reassuringly; even despite the unsavory comments that began to drift their way.

She'd then turned to Inuyasha long after they've left the village and quite loudly pronounced, "I'm not going to let them throw anymore stupid rotten food at you this time. And if I can help it, not another soul will get the chance to do it again." But then she blushed prettily and promptly released her hold on the hanyou, her face as crimson as the setting sun over the sea.

Gods; if even Miroku had felt touched by her words, he couldn't imagine Inuyasha's own internal feelings on the matter. Inuyasha's following 'Keh' was something to go by; it wasn't the grunt of dismissal or a snort of any sort; but a sideways, wordless way of betraying his gratitude. His eyes seemed to brighten, and his usually tight lips curved at a single corner while his gaze lingered on the girl for longer than necessary. It was subtle, but kind.

And the gesture certainly wasn't lost on Kagome, whose beautiful face tinted pinker but kept her steady eyes arrested on the path ahead. She's suffered emotionally as of late, and yet she braved hardship in a manner that compelled Miroku to re-evaluate how woman were brought up in her era. He partially yearned to see it as a result; wondering if Kagome's remarkable, compassionate character was something either unique to her or was shared amongst her people. Miroku didn't know what to think, but his heart said it was the former if Inuyasha's talk of her era was anything to go by.

And now, speaking of the half-demon himself as well as Kagome's plight; Miroku couldn't help but shake his head in sheer frustration: Inuyasha's 'naivety' came from a foolish loyalty complex he seems to have. Or rather a stubborn refusal to release the sentimentality adhered to his memories of Kikyo. Perhaps, worse yet maybe, a strange and disfigured sense of warped honor to bind his life to the cause of avenging Kikyo.

 _Yes. Maybe that's it,_ inwardly pondered the monk. _Its probably all of the above, if not one of those._

Miroku frowned; having recalled the events that happened so very _recently_ ; even before the village they've encountered. Even around the time of their departure onto this very trip:

Inuyasha and the group found a young monk-in-training, whose master had been slain by Kikyo. As it turns out; Kikyo had been nearby; and only Kagome and Inuyasha had been permitted through the barrier said miko has erected. Whatever happened in there had been very trying on Kagome; and it seemed to form a rift between the two despite Inuyasha's fierce desire to keep Kagome beside him. Miroku had hit the half-demon on the head a couple of times as a result; the hanyou's dumb decision having felt like it deserved such treatment. It was decidedly both oddly humorous and unpleasant to Miroku too, though the humorous part less so.

And yet, you'd think he'd want Kagome around _more_ after Sesshoumaru and Kikyo had both attempted to claim the poor idiot's life. Seriously the _audacity_ on that moron was nothing short of surprising.

 _Its probably why he's managed to live so long; unless its the fool's luck that guides him. Ah well._

Whatever the case, Miroku dispelled the unruly recollection; his mind delving deeper into his rigid meditations. The earthly woes of young love was truly a fearsome anchor; and no holy man in his right mind could effectively work his magics when distracted with such. As a Buddhist, Miroku wasn't an exemplar, but he knew better than to turn his back on _all_ the practices. Delinquent or no, he was a man whose heart was filled with good intent; of a sort.

His brain and _other_ head however, were a different story.

After getting to know the trio, he learned that, while he was indeed someone who more or less outwardly appreciated the women's body more profoundly than most; he still cared deeply for Kagome in a new-founded sisterly manner. Her woes upsetted him almost as much as they affected Shippo and herself; and he'd ceased his idiotic flirting with her (almost) altogether in favor of this dear camaraderie. Other than that, while Inuyasha's peevish muttering and slew of threats didn't bother the monk, it told Miroku just how much he cared for Kagome. And she him in return if her tolerance of his stupidity was anything to go by. Miroku respected that, and he couldn't help but smile as he observed them from afar.

 _Such implicit trust, even despite the fact that he's a crude fellow with a demonic heritage. Kagome, truly you've not only opened my eyes, but his as well. I wish only the best for you and he._

 _Still... It doesn't mean that I won't tease Inuyasha about it a little,_ he ruminated with a humored air.

His more recent lecherous 'advances' were merely a ploy as a result of this; a way to inspire some fire into his hanyou friend to get it through his thick skull that maybe he should open up to Kagome more. It seemed to work, but it was a work-in-progress.

After he finished with his morning meditation under a conveniently placed waterfall of a relatively short height, he deemed himself cleansed (well, partially so). He dressed himself in his monks' garb; promptly walking back to their camp afterward. Inuyasha had possessed the foresight to not fight with Kagome as of late blessedly; especially after Kikyo and the hostile village. If anything, the half-demon was being rather primly silent and polite for his standards; contrite even. He waited for Kagome to finish their usual breakfast of fire-roasted fish, his gaze mysteriously arrested on things Miroku felt he could hazard. Shippo was playing around with his top, changing its sizes at varying intervals. He glanced up at Miroku, his face innocent and smiling.

"Anything left?" The monk inquired politely, not minding if there wasn't truly any fish left in question. He's had his fill before he went to the stream with the waterfall in it, but more food for the day was no less appreciated. He needed his gut to stay full for the majority of day as well; and there's no telling if they'll find any powered-up demons super-charged on jewel fragments.

Inuyasha surprised him; the hanyou suddenly whipped out a fish from beside him, tossing it to the monk in one careless motion. "Knock yourself out," he threw just as casually.

 _Hmm. How odd._

Miroku nodded his thanks while raising a brow, shocked by the fact that Inuyasha himself hasn't consumed the spare fish. The hanyou usually ate what was left as if it were by group consensus. He _never_ saved the food for anyone else but himself; with Kagome being included on the occasion.

 _Kagome must've refused the fish,_ Miroku began to tick down. _-And he likely didn't want to give it Shippo; and he didn't finish it off despite the fact that he needs more energy than we do. He does most of the fighting and sleeps less so to watch over us._

 _Now why would he hold it for me?_

As his scrutiny, Inuyasha seemed to detect his hidden query; furrowing his brows deeply with an agitated, "Well? Just eat the damn thing before I change my mind!"

Miroku nibbled on it, but shook his head at a passing thought and said, "Not that I don't appreciate it, but how come you didn't polish it off?"

Inuyasha's hackles went up, as expected, "Its 'cause _you're_ the one whose doing all the walking here besides Kagome. Shippo's not losing any energy hitching' rides all the damn time! 'Sides, he's a demon and you two are-"

"-Yes yes," Miroku dismissed the rest of his words with a careless wave of his hand. "-'We're the weakling humans whose going to gripe all damn day,'. Is that going to be your exact words?"

An indignant harrumph and a huffy, extra-petty "Keh" was his confirmation. Miroku sighed, alongside Kagome near him.

 _And to think,_ pondered the monk. _Here I was, believing he's actually grateful to me for supporting him when he was injured; or when I helped him see sense in seeing Kagome again. I wonder when he'll actually learn to be more gracious?_

 _Then again, he did give me this._

Miroku let the thought go, eye-balling his fish briefly but then consenting to finishing its remains. Perhaps Inuyasha was being kind; in his own unorthodox way. Stubborn mule that he was, as well. And like he said before; it was an odd, but endearing quality that was growing on the monk. And while Inuyasha doesn't know this, Miroku deemed the half-demon a friend by now; considering the immeasurable amount of risks the surly ally goes through for him.

Inuyasha was great at fooling himself; but not the people around him.

* * *

 **-X-**

One random little demon attack (with no shards), a long and arduous walk, and a setting sun later, they've yet again made camp for the night.

Miroku let his casual ease bleed into his new everyday routine, and for once, his lecherous mind was elsewhere. He could now sit comfortably beside Kagome and no longer feel tempted to grope the girl as he did early on in his acquaintance of her. She wasn't the one for his heart after all; this he earnestly knew.

A woman of Kagome's seemingly endless patience was usually meant for someone who _needed_ a woman to tolerate his tendencies; no matter how rude or brash. Besides, it was obvious that the girl in question beheld feelings for Inuyasha; and he her. She was the balm to his heart, and had an affect on the hanyou that no other human had. Whether or not one or the other knew how the other felt was a different matter entirely.

Still, it was something the monk hoped to encourage.

Miroku was no dreamy-eyed idiot; he didn't believe in the validity of 'soul mates' or true love of any kind unless it were to happen to him in some way. To him, it seemed to be a fictional concept of passing fancy; a story of woe and rife and astonishing devotion told to children everywhere so to lay their weary heads down to rest. Sure, he'd be the first to say he supported the idea of a relationship between his current companions, but nothing like the olden formality of 'the only one'. Love was a perilous, painful journey that must be earned with trust and time; or forged in blood and battle, as it was in Inuyasha and Kagome's case. Their throes no doubt gave them plenty of time to learn to rely on the other; and with every skirmish they braved their synergy seemed to meld further and further. It was morbid, in some ways. But in others, it bred a level of understanding between the two that even a decade in knowing each other couldn't yield otherwise. Trial by fire as the saying went.

Still, Miroku knew this much; the kind of woman that he (somewhat) sought for would come to him eventually... Probably. And even if she didn't, _oh well_. The monk took it in more stride than he felt he should.

 _Such is fate,_ he thought grimly, feeling the lines around his mouth bracketing. _And if this were to indeed happen, it would be the day the wind tunnel takes my life. Mayhaps this infernal curse would die along with me. If fate wills the curse to end in this manner, so be it. I certainly wouldn't want to subject my children to the curse that's dogged me since my very conception... Nor would I want a beloved wife of mine to mire within the heartbreak of my impending demise._

Miroku shuddered; a motion that went unnoticed by the dedicated school-girl barely a yard from him. Shippo remained oblivious as well. However, Inuyasha's polished amber gaze caught the shiver that wracked him, but he didn't comment thankfully.

The monk knew his weakness for women was a sore spot in his family. Hell, the curse started as a result of his grandfather's philogyny. But that didn't mean it should take away from the harmless fun of getting a reaction from the fawning beauties. It encouraged Miroku to flirt all the more every time a woman so coyly regarded him with a shy little wiggle of the hips and a laugh on the lips. It was _fun_ ; harmless fun at that. But, if a woman should react differently to his attempts at flirtation; like say seriously enact on it, he wasn't so sure he'd follow through per se.

Its fair to say he's had some _hands-on_ experience from time to time, but nothing truly note-worthy. Miroku wasn't someone whose abstained from the unholy idea completely, but he never went as _deeply_ as his words usually suggested. A wistful, perhaps naive version of himself would rather explore all of these pleasures in their lascivious entirety when he's found said partner-of-the-heart. So to speak.

Now, if said woman rebuffed him instead, hardly tolerating his idiotic pea-cocking altogether, then _maybe_ she might be worth a pursuit. The 'hard-to-get' was interesting to Miroku; as the fruits yielded could be all the tastier he thought. An individual of this stand-up caliber (not unlike Kagome in some ways) could very well carry a certain devotion that proved attractive. The journey within itself in order to earn this woman's heart was a means to understanding all the beautiful facets of her personality. Again, the idea was fun; in a whole different way of course. Perhaps, given she isn't too put off by the whole 'cursed' thing, even knowing he was a doomed man but loved him as he was; flirtatious flaws and all, willing to birth the children that would not last longer than he...

She'd be the one for him.

 _And so I will wait for that woman, if nothing else_ , he inwardly sighed.

The odds of it happening were despairingly low; slim to zilch even. But Miroku held out onto the idea and placed it to the back of his mind for the moment. It wasn't important, nor was it something he wanted to actively pursue. He didn't want to inflict emotional distress on such a woman of this caliber; should she come to pass. So he left it be, happily falling upon the neutral path of 'whatever goes around, comes around'. It's a sad and lonely way to live, but it was the method Miroku embraced ever since he set out as a wandering monk.

Well, whatever the case; Kagome studied while sitting comfortably beside him (although not so incredibly close). The monk helpfully observed her dilemmas on what she called 'Algebra' and 'pre-calculus', finding the challenge of them quite distracting and appealing. After his days of scrutinizing the book whilst she bent over her other ones, Miroku's deft mind seemed to absorb little bits and pieces of the information displayed from the example problems and the occasional answers at the back of the tome; in something called an 'appendix' or 'glossary'. He silently evaluated the problems, realizing that the figures were substitutes for the missing numbers in question, and watched as the poor girl sweated over her homework. He worked some of them himself when she'd slept sometimes, scribbling into the dirt. He was gratified to know that he was indeed catching on to what was obviously Kagome's worse nightmare; checking over his work and finding that his results were correct.

Miroku credited himself for being a very clever man with a diversified understanding. While yes, some of the value of what was in the tome was lost on him, his wily mind seemed to embrace the odds and ends of Mathematics after long hours of reading the book in his boredom. His endless curiosity and crafty intelligence allowed the monk to see things from a different perspective; and this has allowed him to resolve problems that blossomed around him.

Mushin had been diligent in teaching the young Miroku mathematics, alongside literary pursuits of varied form. Miroku even knew women's script; a 'language' the peasant girls taught to each other since proper education the aristocratic women knew eluded them. Miroku did his damnedest to learn as much as he can, even despite his limited time in this world. He wanted to use what he knew to help the common man during the times he wasn't swindling them out of their fortune.

Well, despite his mental wanderings, Miroku checked over Kagome's work over her shoulder, unbeknownst to the girl. Inuyasha eye-balled him suspiciously, but he seemed to understand that Miroku was no longer interested in Kagome's backside. It warmed the monk to know that his comrades were indeed trusting him more and more (or at least to an extent in the hanyou's case). Miroku's intention was actually pure in this instance, his eyes skimming over what looked like a usual algebraic problem. He recalled the examples he's tried, and immediately smiled to himself upon finding the answers.

A very pointed groan of protest and exasperation later, Kagome was seen throwing a small tantrum of her own. She threw the homework into the air, her distress plain to see. " _Arrrrrrrgh._ I just don't _understand_!" she shouted to the heavens above. "I'm never gonna get this before we get back! _I'm soooo screwed!_ "

Inuyasha blinked at her in some surprise, but then unhelpfully grunted, "Then why bother with it if its so damn hard? Its not like it important!"

Miroku could already see Kagome's inner fire being stoked to a burning, roiling conflagration, so he decided to help the poor girl out before she set fire to Inuyasha's ass with a string of sits. As much as he (and especially Shippo) sometimes enjoyed seeing the hanyou humbled, it wasn't usually productive nor effective. So he took the paper from her much to her surprise, and turned to her in question, "If I may?"

Kagome's initial surge of frustration subsided, her chestnut eyes confused. She relinquished the tome, but she just had to ask, "Uh, what're are going to do? Don't tell me you can actually read this?"

Miroku smiled, his charismatic turn of lips honest, "In some part. I'd like to see what your sensei has assigned you. Enlighten me, and we'll see where it goes."

Kagome's abject shock left her mouth gaping, while Shippo mutely observed the exchange. Inuyasha blinked at him almost stupidly before settling for another scowl.

 _Hmm. Jealous much, Inuyasha?_

Miroku delighted in their advent shock and waited as Kagome regained her sense. He couldn't help the _slightly_ gloatful, genteel smirk blooming on his lips as the corner of his peripherals caught Inuyasha's aggravated expression.

As it were, the girl gestured to a set of twenty questions that caused her earlier outburst. She had to do the evens in this set, and the odds in the next afterward; a weird and useless pattern figured the monk. Nonetheless, he mentally went over it for the next few minutes and grinned more and more, realizing he's indeed worked sets like this. For good measure, he checked the back of the book and the beginning of the chapter so to spy the method used to formulate the problems.

After scribbling on a separate blank sheet of paper (the paper had initially shocked him when he first seen it), he turned to Kagome and said, "I'll help you on the first few, and guide you from there. After which, you should try some problems yourself and let me check it over."

"So you really _can_ read these books!" She eyed him as if he was some holy savior; although to his credit, maybe he were in a sense.

A chuckle, and then, "To an extent. Some of the words in your literature books elude me however; seeing how it appears our language has evolved."

"Ah."

Still, she seemed to betray her doubt on this after the initial surprise. Miroku however allayed this by mildly stating, "Two minds are better than one. Even if my understanding of your work is flawed, you couldn't do worse than if you were doing this yourself."

It was at that Kagome relented; sidled up to him, and kept some bit of her attention on his wandering hands while they began. Inuyasha squinted at the pair like he wanted to burn holes into them the whole time, but this Miroku coolly disregarded.

 _I'm so misunderstood,_ he inwardly muttered, but not without a small smile.

And so, for the next while, patiently the monk guided both he and the girl through her crippling workload; their dinner being their break-time. They moved through it together, and soon Kagome was done. She stretched out and smiled warmly at Miroku, nodding her thanks and going to change in something she called "P'J's". Of course, Miroku made no attempt to move after her, seeing how Inuyasha's heated glare stayed arrested on him the entire time. Before too long, Kagome had gone to bed, leaving the men (plus Shippo) to poke and prod at their fire while eating what remained of their dinner.

The subject of the Shikon no Tama came up before long; a matter the monk himself brought up. He even went to ask what Inuyasha what he desired most should he wish upon it. _A man's most sincere wish says a lot of his character_ , was his reasoning for the topic. Still, Miroku felt disappointed that he'd predicted his friend's reply upon hearing it; having guessed earlier on in his acquaintance with the hanyou just what kind of person he was. It only made Miroku frown all the more as the conversation went on.

He tried to convince his half-demon friend that such selfish desires were never truly granted without a heavy price; but Inuyasha hardly took note of it until Miroku drew upon an example: That being if Inuyasha were to somehow hypothetically succeed in his endeavor, what's to say he wouldn't devour Shippo and Kagome afterwards? Again, Inuyasha tried to dispel the misgivings by retorting that he'd never wanted to be a good demon, but the expression in his eyes betrayed his steady words. Thankfully, Miroku felt that something of this conversation would stay with his friend.

 _He honestly wants to protect Kagome at the cost of his own life, this I can plainly see; or as any daft fool could observe. You would have to blind to not know. But I still wonder if this need to protect her far out-weighs his petty desires... to achieve a possibly potent power would mean he'd have to lose something dear; whether the girl or his sanity or both... Its hard to say._

 _If anything, if seems as if he doesn't know himself what he wants more._

Whatever the case, Miroku would go to bed that night hoping that Inuyasha would ponder his words for the time to come. He didn't want his friend to suffer heedlessly after all.

* * *

 **-X-**

 _And so we head for the domain of the Demon Slayers._

 _...Such a dangerous occupation; and yet the people within themselves are sometimes even fiercer than their quarry. They have to be in order to make a living from this dangerous career._

 _But... the origins of the Shikon Jewel could very well be far more important to discover than we've thought. Perhaps more so than the risk we run by practically barging into their secretive home. If we could learn more about the origins of the jewel itself, besides what we already know, then maybe the mysteries we've been surrounded by shall work themselves out._

Or so Miroku hoped.

In the meantime, the group was tromping along a darkened, obscured, grizzled mountain trail; hoping to find the hidden home of the elusive Tajiya. Kagome was all a flutter about the concept of meeting the demon slayers at first; but she was right to be apprehensive as well. She became steadily more silent and hesitant as they went along, her eyes occasionally darting to their hanyou leader some paces ahead. Inuyasha meanwhile didn't seem to care much about being surrounded by potential enemies, but Shippo was keeping his mouth zipped profoundly shut almost the whole walk through; his tail giving the occasional twitch in growing fear.

For good reason the group was silent; as Miroku feared for the safety of his more youki-inclined comrades. Not overly, but to some extent.

From hesitation to speculative; Miroku worked his riddling mind as he lagged at the back of the pack. He never stopped thinking; never stopped expecting the worst. When one learns to deal with the curse of the Kazanna's caliber, it becomes second nature to expect death at any given moment. Miroku's absolute worse fears involved being drawn into the void; and the moment when such a fate befalls him is yet even more harrowing. So it bred some sort of morbid sense of mortality and fear within him, and it compelled the monk to travel largely alone for the years he's been a wanderer.

Inner musings aside, earlier that day the group passed a village recently visited by an apparently expert taijiya. She boldly claimed a jewel shard for her efforts; never taking an ounce more of whatever payment the villagers had offered her. Said shard was incentive enough to go after her; but add in the fact that she stated the jewel originated from her home village; and you've got a bona-fide _mission_ on your hands.

The pace Inuyasha had his team going at was relentless; he hadn't even remotely suggested the idea of stopping to make camp once the sun set. His raging curiosity had him driving his comrades forward without pause; but it was to be expected in Miroku's eyes: The jewel's baffling nature eluded many; but this hidden village was the lead they possibly needed. Miroku inwardly wondered if it could bring them closer to Naraku. Kagome hadn't even mustered the mettle used to encourage Inuyasha to stop as she usually did either; serving to prove that she too believed getting to the village was of the utmost importance.

Miroku hopped over a large series of knotted roots and brush; his robes dragging at the sticks. It didn't slow him, but if this pace was kept up, he'd need to find a seamstress in the next village they found. He didn't complain; it happened often enough to him whenever he was in hurry.

Suddenly, an abhorrent wind stirred the woods around them; silencing the cacophony made by the night-time animals. The tress bent towards them in ominous sways, the bracken trembled as nature itself seemed to scurry into obscurity. The waning moon above the group vanished behind a rogue cloud; dark as pitch and screaming an infernal cry borne of the monsters within it.

Inuyasha snarled and bristled; the hair on the tops of his ears and head rising in true, animal-like fashion. Shippo's tail mirrored the motion, all the while Miroku felt a dreaded illness wrack his body. Kagome cringed; her shoulders shaking visibly despite the oddly tangible feeling of the darkness creeping around them. Likely she felt the same as he did; sickened into stillness as they regarded the hideous sight above.

"So many..." whispered the girl faintly.

"The amount of demonic energy... Its immense," Miroku muttered, sweat beading along his brow and slithering down his neck.

One of Inuyasha's ears flicked backward once; but the half-demon made no other motion. "They're out for blood," he murmured lowly. "They're going on the attack!"

Miroku had a sneaking suspicion of what the unspoken target was; but he wasn't entirely sure initially. Nonetheless, the monk was then weaving through the brush with all the intention of hopefully beating their enemy to their target. Fruitless or no, he'd be damned if he didn't at least _try_.

"After them!" he bellowed to his comrades; glad to see Inuyasha was already beating his words to it.

* * *

 **-X-**

And indeed the endeavor had been fruitless.

As the wayward group managed to find the hidden lair in partial thanks to the horde, they couldn't help weigh in the damage to the fortress before them. The scent of blood in the air was thick and cloying; over-whelming to the extreme. Even to a human's weakened sense of smell, its astringent aroma hung heavily. Miroku almost gagged on the vile wall of coppery tang; and he couldn't imagine what Inuyasha himself was braving. Shippo coughed and sputtered on occasion, while Kagome was seen drawing a handkerchief from her belongings and tying it around her face. She offered one to Inuyasha, but he ignored it. The girl gave one to Shippo and Miroku instead, her ginger gaze a mute torrent of open grief.

The home had been demolished in the time they've spent running after the cloud throughout the night. Plumes of smoke choked the atmosphere with its acrid stench of burning decay, flesh and wood. Bodies piled the inside of the lair like a true mountain of corpses; discarded weapons of every sort lay riddled within the dead of both mortal and beast. Said bodies lay intertwined in a perverted parody of intimacy; friend and foe tangled together in contorted poise reminiscent of paintings of Hell.

Miroku knew this day would beget this dreadful occurrence ever since he saw the swarm of demons, but seeing this and expecting it were two completely different things.

As it were, the group would spend their day busy with the numerous sorting of the dead; aided by a new face in their midst: A female fire nekomata named Kirara; a friendly beast who desired to help the group with the woeful task of digging the graves and pulling the bodies. Kirara even dragged the demon corpses into a mass pile as well; with Miroku setting a steady flame with a chain of blessed banishing on his lips. Kirara remained vigil beside him as he did this, her intelligent crimson eyes arrested on the disgusting pyre as the smoldering remains fluttered about.

Inuyasha was uncharacteristically morose as well, his silence for the first while a sign of sullen respect. He wouldn't speak much until the tasks were largely done; and even then he kept to himself. Once he announced that he's finished digging the graves, Miroku wandered over with their new feline companion and began to bless the dead as well. He hoped he could aid in their ascent to worlds unknown; and he wouldn't stop his chanting until every mound has received their own proper prayer.

Beside him, their only female companion stood motionlessly, holding an offering of flowers Shippo himself has hand-plucked. Said fox demon was else-where; likely trying to find alternative ways to help sift through the mess whilst the older did the dirty work. As for Kagome herself, she regarded the graves with a critical eye, her delicate features a somber mask of mute frustration and sorrow. There was other emotions rattling around behind her steady gaze, but the monk felt he hadn't know the school-girl long enough to understand yet.

"You don't see this kinda thing where I'm from," Kagome softly murmured beside him, more to herself than anything. She probably didn't know she uttered it, for all the softness it carried.

Miroku regarded the girl next to him, taking in her words carefully. He found the concept of lack of masse violence a little odd, but he also read her books and knew enough so that such battles between man and demon were something of myth in her time.

 _Puzzling, to say the least._

So, he instead diverted the topic to an extent, pondering what the realm beyond his own was truly like. "So, you're saying there's some semblance of peace in your time? Or is the unusual nature of this skirmish that's different to you?"

A non-committal noise escaped her creamy countenance, her gaze forlorn. "The ladder" was her initial response. "You don't ever see demons in my time, _at all_. It makes me wonder what could've happened to them in the last five-hundred years in order for them to have became only legends in folklore. As for peace-" She shook her head ruefully. "-there never seems to be anything like it anywhere in the world. Merely an illusion of it, at best."

 _Ah. So she too has noticed this?_

Throughout her time here, Miroku knew that Kagome lead a deceptively tame and semi-normal life outside of their battles. But this wisdom was brought about by her experiences here; or maybe was something she seemed to innately comprehend. Whatever the case, at least Miroku knew there was some level of genial understanding between he and this odd girl.

His mouth twisted wryly, moving the observation aside for the moment. "Hmm. So, war happens with less frequency where you're from?" He pressed, deciding that conversation may be better than silence after all.

 _But why pick this subject?_ He mentally chastised himself for the idiotic selection of topic.

Kagome blinked and nodded, but her reply wasn't certain. She squinted as if her previous answer wasn't quite right, and then said, "Eh, kinda? Well... yeah, but with the advancement of technology and ingenuity, it evolved in some ways... It... I guess it simply means a greater loss of life in some cases, with less time being spent in actual combat. War doesn't need to be frequent in order to incur the same amount of amount of destruction as we see here."

Miroku nodded grimly, his mouth turning into a thin slash on his face.

Kagome went on, whether or not she was aware of doing or not. She made a bitter noise, and then, "-People end up dying anyways on a whim, and so often despite the variance in customs. It doesn't happen as often admittedly as it does here, but sometimes, there seems to be more at stake than just a town or two. A whole country can vanish over-night if someone truly evil enough willed for it. The loss of so much human life goes by not the hundreds or thousands, but the _millions_ in these cases."

This actually horribly alarmed Miroku. He couldn't help but say, "How...? You know what, I don't think I want to know." _Great Buddha._ "-I thought you were going to say that war was something of a novel instead. And here I thought Inuyasha said your era was less dangerous!"

"It depends on how you look at it," she elaborated. She lowered her eyes and hugged the offering of flowers tighter, "No matter what era you're in, the amount of blood lost never seems to change. Millions are dying around the Japan, even now because there's no sense of stability. And although crime can be cut down as it is in my era, it'll always remain. War will balance out the lack of crime-induced violence."

 _Should've kept the subject on why demons have vanished from her time. Gods I'm such a fool._

She looked around until her nutty-colored eyes arrested on Inuyasha, who was talking to Myoga over by the demon's pyre. "People get away with less and less with every new law in my time," She continued. "-Crime isn't as rampant there as it is here, but remains prevalent. I live in a safe enough environment in this way, especially since rights are given to the less fortunate more often. There's religious tolerance in more places, and people with even the lowest social standing can find some manner of comfort if you live in the right place. There also happens to be more places like that all over the world. It breeds a semblance of stability, and incurs less fighting. For the moment in my era, Japan is at peace. War doesn't happen as much as a result, but..."

She trailed off at this, and shamefully hung her head. She redirected her despondent gaze onto the freshly churned mound and said no more.

Miroku weighed her words and reflected on what he's learned; eventually finishing aloud with, "And yet the destruction it reaps is far greater when it _does_ happen. Is this what you imply?"

A lone nod was his reply.

The duo stood silent as sentinels, eyeing the mass of graves before them after this. So lost were they in their thoughts they never noticed Inuyasha's approach.

The hanyou however seemed to note their reverie, reluctant to break it, but he acknowledged that it had to broken eventually. So he said, with a respectful, toneless query at the ready, "Hey. Myoga-jiji says there's somethin' outside the village we gotta see. We may not get the whole truth from the slayers, but we can prob'by get outta here with some answers."

Kagome and Miroku were only too happy to change the heavy air, turning towards their companion with some amount of energy. "Good too know," Miroku said, snapping his attention abruptly. "But, how is it that Myoga would know more?"

"That's because houshi-sama," piped up the pest on the hanyou's right shoulder. "I've had the fortune to come across this information prior to this attack. I may not know much, but hopefully it'll help."

Kagome nodded and then said, "Lemme finish laying out the offerings, and then we can go."

The men nodded, Miroku moving to gather the tools they've used to bury the villagers. Inuyasha fell into step beside him, his usual scowl a grimace this time around.

Once they were out of ear-shot, he growled and snapped, "What the ever loving _fuck_ were you two gabbing about? I don't think I've ever seen Kagome so upset!"

"Ah, you've noticed that have you?"

The dog demon clenched his jaw and spat, "Hells _yes_ I saw! Kinda hard not to smell it." As if to demonstrate his point, his nose flicked and twitched at that. His mulish gaze landed on the monk in question, "I get this whole visit here is just gonna be one big depressing memory now, but whatever the fuck you two been mutterin' on about seemed to make it whole lot worse for her! Can't you just shut the fuck up where it counts?"

Miroku detected the hanyou's unease, suddenly realizing that he intended to raise a stink about it; but he quickly shot that down. Instead, he felt the beginnings of a smirk curl his dried lips, "Ahhhh. Now I see. You just don't want me hovering around her when she's like this. You wish to cheer her up, yes?"

The hanyou "Keh'd" at him.

"-And you've been jealous of all the attentions I've given our lovely lady friend as of late?"

Inuyasha's cheeks were suddenly very near the same color as his robes, his gaze incredulous. It wasn't unlike when Miroku first accused the half-demon of being in love with Kagome when they first met; and said sight only made the monk smile all the more.

"Eh? The fuck are you yammerin' on about!" His gruff-sounding voice rose as it went. "I'm just sayin' quit draggin' her down. She didn't live the way we did, and she takes a lotta shit to heart."

"I'm aware," so said the monk.

"You better be," retaliated his companion. Inuyasha harrumphed after that; not unlike a winded bull and tromped off in a flurry of sun-kissed platinum and crimson.

Miroku however could only vaguely smile in his wake, shaking his head good-humoredly. _One of these days, he just may finally figure it out,_ he pondered. _After all, I would't think it be so hard to know when you've wrapped yourself a woman's finger._

 _...Eh, probably._


	6. Of Terror made Tangible

**-X-**

 _A soul wreathed by grief unfathomable; anchored and leaden and thrown into a deathless Hell-borne pit. A hopelessly deep grave, carved into a blood-caked battle ground furrowed by enemies greater than ourselves. With wounds sewn into her delicate flesh made perpetual; done by the very hands of her own family. A soul formally un-corruptible, broken and shattered and remade again by distraught desire for vengeance; akin to a mirror sloppily pieced back together-_

 _...Sango. If only such a fate hasn't befallen you. But I suppose, you're a warrior; gilded and primed for hardship. And such a lifestyle begets such circumstances. And yet it could only mean what lies ahead for not just you, but for us all-_

 _...Its an ominous sign, if any._

Miroku observed tersely, weighing the worth of the 'weeping' woman in front of him. Well, silently weeping; in an prideful, somewhat stuffy, obscured, almost Inuyasha-like way. She lamented her losses in an self-imposed reverie, internalizing her pain in a way that couldn't _possibly_ be healthy.

The girl was a walking travesty in some ways, a beautiful oddity whose throes banged furiously against his sense of honor and dignity. A once pristine pillar once thought to be made of diamond had crumbled into dust the day her family was taken from her; as if made instead from splintered shale. However, her new purpose to set out for damning vengeance had put a new anchor into Sango; building her back to the woman she was in some respects.

Still, her inner torment only made the monk _loath_ Naraku all the more for it.

To despise someone so heatedly, so powerfully, that it beguiled the spirit in such an ugly, tormented, _mortal_ manner only reminded Miroku why he could never lay down his life as a true disciple of Buddha. It was hatred at its most base, rancid, most poisonous core; damning in every respect. Grudges of this caliber made man a natural sinner by nature; but he felt sometimes that he was _especially_ suspect to its vices. Licentious tendencies aside.

Sango was such a _powerful_ whirlwind force to be reckoned; a heaven-sent storm of endless gray skies shrieking and split asunder with gale-force tempests. A kamikaze of emotions; loud in every action, in every burst of movement. Holding a fragile, isolated calm at the center; beholding an illusionary semblance of peace before the said storm rips that too asunder. Sango was nature incarnate; buffeting and forceful and proud in every aspect of the word. And here he thought Inuyasha was quite the blow-hard. He couldn't hold a candle to Sango in some ways. The woman damn near kicked his ass not so long ago.

And yet all that bluster was brought to heel by Naraku's despicable evils; prompting the monk to grit his his teeth in righteous indignation.

Sango distrusted her allies in some part, seeing how new she was new to the party. Thankfully, she's come out of her slump in some part while they rested at the taijiya village initially. The woman wasn't well enough to move until a week or so after; but by then Sango expressed a profound desire to vacate these now quiet buildings. As thanks for their care of her health though, Sango did tell them about the Shikon no Tama, and it reaffirmed the resolve the party needed to go after Naraku anew.

So, whilst they traveled to where Naraku's last known location, Sango and Kagome connected almost immediately. Although every smile Sango made was tight, some were a touch more genuine whenever Kagome was involved. Sometimes Shippo tried to make her day too, by sharing his snacks with her and Kirara. Inuyasha left her alone to recuperate; never badgering the taijiya more than needed. He didn't insult her or rush her as Miroku had expected, although he grumbled to himself at times about the group moving so slowly when he figured no one was listening. He gruffly but gracefully accepted (for his standards anyways) whatever apology the demon slayer rendered him for their previous scuffle.

Sango seemed earnestly surprised by the hanyou's assurance too, seeing how she found within him a sort of match for her own demeanor. But his gesture actually earned a soft-hearted, subtle smirk on her end; as if it removed some of the invisible, tangible weight bogging her down. Miroku still couldn't help but feel that she and Inuyasha were very much alike in some mannerisms: He observed as the two gave each other a wide berth borne from not agitated posturing, but a true innate sense of respect of personal space. They never shared more than few, meaningful words; communicating in like-minded ways. They were also _very_ quick in getting to the point when it needed to be addressed; Kagome had thought they were insulting each other at first because of their word-delivery.

Over time, the stunted, fleeting curl of her coral-colored lips turned into a warmer expanse of color and happiness. Her cheeks dimpled cutely, and Miroku couldn't help but feel hyper-aware of just how _amazing_ this warrior woman looked. It left him in reverent awe; so much so, he'd forgotten his customary "Will you bear my children?" pick-up line even after she's healed. For him, that was nothing short of astounding.

Still, it didn't mean he couldn't try a little 'polite' flirting once she'd recovered enough.

The group had taken to waiting for the girl's God-awful wounds to heal over during the last week despite their wanderings; slowing the party if minutely. It was something Miroku hasn't kept track that well, but he didn't mind. Kagome tended to Sango's wounds in professional fashion and sped along her recovery; the taijiya getting up and on her feet quicker than anyone expected. Inuyasha certainly didn't complain; but Kagome urged Sango to try to take it easy. After all, the group was searching for Naraku's castle; but it proved elusive due to Sango's lack of memory. They were all -especially Sango- eager to find the place.

No such luck, but at the least the group were able to stop long enough to get a breather from their mad rush of pursuit. Kagome even laid out a delightful dinner that night, trying to encourage Sango into trying some of the stranger foods from her time. Her initial reactions towards Kagome's various stuffs were a tad amusing at first, but no less expected. She even watched as Miroku once again offered his aid in Kagome's homework; her eyes widening at the sight of the boggling array of mathematics. Her questions were rare; usually employing observation to learn what piqued her intrigue. Kagome still tried to get the taijiya to not feel so shy about asking; but Sango was reclusive and secretive in nature. She wasn't timid by any means, but she was about as forthcoming as their hanyou companion.

In the meantime, after delivering a horrid pinch to Miroku's wandering hands (threatening to smack him around next time he tried something; and it be the first of _many_ more to come), Sango settled beside Kagome in contemplative peace. She stroked Kirara in silence, her smile tentative and soft as a flower petal's caress. Miroku felt himself staring; but he couldn't help his eyes and where they drifted off to at times.

 _They're worse than my damned hands,_ he's told himself unconvincingly. Although he knew that neither were better than the other; seeing how eyes and hands could beget the same hostile reactions.

After finishing her homework, Kagome jovially conversed with Sango up until she was tired enough to slip into her bag. Once she began to nod off (as indicated by Inuyasha's suddenly increased, stolen glances), Sango curled into some modest bedding herself; supplied by Kagome from her time. She offered Miroku a 'sleeping bag' when they first met, but he declined the gesture politely and told her he didn't feel right with Kagome carrying it all day during their journey. Still, she'd given the spare bag to Sango in an effort to make her comfortable in a variety of ways. Miroku credited the middle-schooler for her reasoning in it:

One: Kagome was obviously freely offering a gesture of ease of comfort for Sango's recovery. The slayer needed something to rest on that wasn't the cold, hard ground or floor when her wounds had been so bad before.

Two: Kagome burdening herself with an extra sleeping bag throughout the day had humbled Sango into trusting her quite swiftly; and the fact that the former had bought it certainly wasn't lost on the ladder. Although Inuyasha had complained about at first, his protests were voiced only where Kagome could hear; not Sango so much.

Three: Kagome wanted to encourage Sango into making some new friends; seeing how the slayer was very much alone in the world with the exception of her demonic feline companion.

For now, Sango wordlessly continued to stroke Kirara as if to distract her meandering thoughts; in a way meant to anchor her to the now instead. There's a quality in her expression that bespoke of her inner turmoil despite her outward contentedness. Miroku had a huge, almost obscene desire to merely speak with her; but over what and why eluded him. Anything, any _excuse_ just to get her talking; to get her to betray her swirling, secretive thoughts. She was just so _fascinating_ to him; more so than any other woman he's ever met.

 _But why?_

As if she sensed his treacherous eyes, Sango said, without having to ever look up, "Got nothing better to stare at? You've been doing this all damn day."

 _I suppose I wasn't as subtle as I believed_ , he noted. Miroku still winced no less; her words were certainly barbed. But he supposed, in a way, the gods had answered his strange prayers.

"I apologize," he opted for quickly. "I couldn't help feeling that something has been weighing you down as of late." _Which is quite obvious_ , he mentally included in lame fashion; knowing that the girl was still enduring from losing her entire home.

Sango said nothing to that but snorted in an rather unfeminine manner. Her plain expression was a cautious, neutral mask. There wasn't even a shrug of indifference from her some unknown stretch of minutes, she seemed to settle her thoughts to a topic that seemed safe enough to broach. She looked up at Miroku and blinked, her tone steady, "About Naraku-"

Miroku felt his expression darken.

"He's... well, I get that he's after the Shikon jewel, and I understand that Kagome here has the power to find the shards-" She stopped here, trying to find a way to best word her following queries. "-But I need to know more about him. Just look at the facts: He's obviously beyond the realm of what's considered "normal", even for malicious demon nature. I've seen some rather wicked, horrible, vicious, conniving youkai during my jobs, but Naraku-" She spat and scoffed, "He's the absolute worse _creature_ I've ever had the misfortune to run into. I think I've met centipedes with more honest intentions than he."

Miroku's lips bracketed wryly, "Now that's truly an understatement, my dear taijiya. At the very least, a centipede would rather simply eat you and finish the fight. Naraku however..."

Sango sniffed and ejaculated with a pointed, if not sardonic bitterness evident in her voice, "-He probably gets off on torturing innocent souls all the damn time. I can't find any reason for any demon, with the exception of a succubus, to do this otherwise."

"-'Less it be for jewel shards."

She then went on to say, "-All things considered, could you tell me more about him? I mean, what he's done to all of you in order to garner such an odd variety of enemies? Look at what he has tailing him-" She ticked it off with obvious confusion here, "A reincarnated shrine miko whose _clearly_ not of this world, whose arrows could potentially kill in one strike given the training. A cursed monk willing to side with demons; a hot-tempered hanyou with a vendetta fatal enough to both he and his few, existing enemies. An orphan fox kit, who feels the need to involve himself in violence whereas kitsune avoid said conflict..."

She stopped, and then added in a small, but level tenor, "-And then there's me... A demon slayer whose got quite literally _nothing_ else left to lose. I mean, I know why I'm here, but you all..." She shook her head, her expression a muddled array of confusion and ill-gotten humor of some kind.

Miroku couldn't help but chuckle at the picture she painted; one that he now took the time to admire with some stark, perverted mirth. "Ah," he smiled, his mala beads clacking softly as he placed his arms on his crossed knees. "I suppose our little traveling party does seem a touch unusual."

"Now that's putting it mildly," Sango sighed, her expression lighter than its been most of the night.

The monk leaned against the tree some, folding his hands together in thought. "Well, I suppose there's no harm in a little disclosure. However, Inuyasha's business is his to give, whether or not he'd feel up for mentioning it... Or you learn about this directly from Lady Kagome, which seems likely."

He chuckled vaguely, but knew Sango would know in due course anyways thanks to their interactions with the resurrected Kikyo. He did however recall that Inuyasha was indeed still awake, and apprehensively lifted his gaze to the branches that loomed above Kagome's bedding. Thankfully, said hanyou seemed to be 'dozing'- just enough to be resting but somehow alert for any sound that could be amiss.

 _At least he's not awake enough to note what I've said._

He sighed and stared back a their fire, contemplative. He remembered where he left off and glanced at where the future-born girl slept. The minuscule wad of russet and green and blue curled against her chest snoozed away soundly; for all intents and purposes dead to the world.

He went on in a softer voice, "As for Shippo, he was orphaned by some rogue demons killing his father for his shards. Its no secret, but its not mentioned a lot for a reason. He looks to Kagome as family now, but I've no doubt Naraku would've hunted down his father himself should these 'Thunder Brothers' haven't interfered."

Again, Sango nodded; her hands gingerly ceaselessly caressing the fire cat as he continued.

"-And as you've seen, Lady Kagome stays with us because she can find the shards; but has she not told you how the jewel has come apart in the first place? No?" Her sudden head shaking baffled him. "Ah, well, I'm sure she'll say something about it if you bring it up with her. Kagome has never felt inclined to lie or omit such things when I've asked."

"And you? Why do you chase Naraku?" Her eyes swiftly darted to his right arm; fast enough for the monk to _nearly_ miss.

 _And so we come to what's been really bothering her this whole evening. Naraku is just one thing-_

His following smile was a wane, terse thing that prompted the taijiya to withdraw into herself somewhat. He lifted said arm and fussed with the beads, tightening them (as by habit) as he replied, "You've seen me use this but once, correct?"

"Against my Hiraikotsu, yes."

Her wine-red gaze stayed arrested on his hand, her expression wary. To Miroku, her eye-color bordered the cheery chestnut Kagome had, sitting just in-between a sultry crimson and a warm mahogany. To the casual observer, it was a simple and unassuming brownish; but in this dim firelight he couldn't help but note just how _interesting_ the play of color was. It was a distracting detail he appreciated internally.

Nonetheless, Miroku nodded and settled again, his tone calm and modulated. "The Wind Tunnel," he began, knowing full-well that Sango would most likely ask or know in due time. He might as well lay it out blandly while she felt as inclined as he; no matter how reluctant he felt. His expression fell as he explained, "-Its a curse that's plagued my family the last three generations; and has successfully taken the life of every individual born into the family. It takes time to do so, but the wicked winds grow ever more violent each year I've lived. As you've no doubt surmise, Naraku's responsible for it."

Sango's face fell; a contrite expression that tugged at the monk's heart. He'd felt bad for saying it this way, but the truth wasn't pretty. _Nor was it ever meant to be._

He went on, "My only hope is the defeat Naraku. My master Mushin, grandfather, and father alike has tried varying methods of cleansing, purification, and so forth in order to remove it in years past. However, Naraku's trickery is never something that could be easily dispelled." He felt his eyes wander to their meager fire, and then he tossed some logs into it without further comment. Sango patiently waited for him to continue in this lapse, her hands ceaselessly stroking the small bundle of creamy, purring fur in her lap.

After a pensive moment in this manner he added, "I set out as soon as my training as a monk was finished, hoping to find Naraku whereas my father and grandfather failed. Mushin also warned me to not use it so carelessly; seeing how even simple lacerations will widen the curse and speed along its course-"

A strange choking noise stopped his words, "So even a basic, clumsy wound could mean your _death sentence_ -?!" Sango sputtered incredulously, her eyes brightening in stark worry. The beautiful curl that was her lovely mouth pursed in anger as she absorbed this information.

It seemed to Miroku that she was more upset about it than _he_ was.

"...To devastating effect I'm afraid," Miroku confirmed, wondering why in the blue Hell he decided to tell the slayer this little portent of information in the first place. "As it is, its not the only thing that can affect the curse either. So its either a misplaced scratch could widen the kazaana, or the poison from Naraku's Saimyousho would do the job. Or maybe, time will see to what neither can do."

Sango hissed; not unlike an angry cat. Kirara glanced up at her once and then curled up again. "So those insects I saw during that battle with Naraku's puppet..."

"-Were the Hell-born insects themselves, yes."

Her eyes locked onto Miroku briefly, but then migrated back to their campfire and flashed with a inhumane menace that could freeze the blood of any great tai-youkai. "That gods-thrice-damned, worm-eaten, scum-sucking, hideous, son of a troll-fucked mountain witch," she snarled with a near-animistic churn of lips and teeth, inadvertently shocking the monk.

 _...Great Buddha... And its no wonder she and Inuyasha get along so well... such language._ He flinched at the curses and did his best to put it behind him. _But I suppose its to be expected; her own wounds are yet so fresh still. To learn this so soon after its happened-_

Miroku coughed lightly, hoping to break away Sango's murderous musings. "Worry not," he told her, his lips curving in an enlightening promise. He was smiling fully by the time he finished, "I can't help but notice that the more shards we find, the closer to Naraku we come. If anything, I've come closer to him than any of my forefathers collectively ever had."

Sango settled, but her face contained a skeptical note in it. "You sound confident," she tried.

"Hmm, maybe," was his semi-resigned response. "I'm no optimist; Kagome has that role filled. However, I can't help feeling confident that with us altogether, I'd stand a better chance at finding Naraku and surviving the curse. Roving about as a solitary man hasn't done my father or grandfather any favors... And I've actually had more interactions with Naraku when Inuyasha and Kagome are by my side than I've ever had on my own."

Kirara yawned lazily and flipped her tails around to her other side, her ruby stare resting on Sango briefly whilst the slayer weighed his words. She nuzzled the unmoving hands; Sango having stopped at some point during the monk's speech. Noticing the suddenly restless nekomata, Sango gingerly giggled and resumed her stroking.

"I... I can't help but wonder," she tried with some evident hesitance, her voice contrite. "Do you... I mean... Have you any idea when-?"

When she didn't finish, Miroku realized two things: One was Sango's obvious distaste in asking the very question he himself never considered; letting him know that she didn't want to ask, but she _needed_ to know even if it was rude. Why? That he couldn't figure. The second however told him that she cared about whether he lived or died, despite their brief acquaintance. It warmed him, and he couldn't help but give the slayer a more genuine smile.

For the moment, he decided to allay her suddenly apparent embarrassment; noting that when she'd asked, he'd fallen silent as if in indignation. "Don't think about it," he told her with a detached sense of calm, but keeping his earlier smile as to relay that she's caused no offense. "I certainly don't."

She shook her head, "I'm sorry. Its thoughtless and-"

He held an open palm up to stop her from continuing, "Peace, Sango. I'm not offended. I understand you merely wanted a definitive answer for the incentive of finding Naraku sooner rather later, am I wrong?"

Her mouth thinned, and eyes became even more guarded; although the monk didn't think it was possible. On the side, it didn't stop the shame from flashing fleetingly into view.

Miroku held his smirk, her silence somehow speaking more than her words. _Very much like a certain hanyou I know,_ he couldn't help but muse.

Eventually, the slayer seemed to relax, but her shoulders stubbornly held that squared look. She leaned against the tree opposite Miroku's; her eyes staring into places unknown to the monk. "I can't help but think," she began, her voice pensive. "How long is it going to take for us to find all the shards and beat Naraku? Have you any ideas?"

A sigh; and then, "I wonder that myself." Miroku let the idea swim around, weighing it and the violence yet to come. "Then again, I haven't been with Inuyasha and Kagome-chan very long, and I've seen Naraku often enough. Perhaps this is a good omen, in some ways."

Sango blinked, retaining her semi-troubled expression. She didn't seem convinced, but neither was he.

Eventually, the duo decided it was time to sleep. The conversation had done run its course, and Miroku didn't feel the need to push it. He was certain the slayer was measuring the words quite heavily, her expression almost haunted. He partially wished he omitted some of the things said about his curse, but Sango would've known about it anyways. Besides, he didn't want her caught off guard about it: who knows when the wind tunnel would one day enact upon its own wicked nature, and potentially draw in the people around him? He didn't want his only, few friends caught unawares.

 _Other than that, telling her this allows us no secrets between us. Mayhaps she'll feel more inclined to trust us._

Miroku laid on his side on his meager pallet, his mind roving over the future and what lay in store for them in the morn.

* * *

 **-X-**

The rather blithe, halcyon light of the following day was a sharp contrast to the moody feel of the monk's inner disquiet.

They've finally found where the castle of Kagawaki _was_ ; a former lord Sango believed slain and impersonated by Naraku as part of his ruse to deceive the taijiya. Still, the grounds were a dusty, miasma choked plain with some light evidence of cultivation; albeit no castle in sight. There wasn't even any birds or insects amidst the land, and the unerring silence was its own tangible pall that darkened the moods of the group.

Sango however braved the soiled grounds undaunted, her eyes a focused sheen of hard scrutiny. She moved around the rises of soil and occasionally crouched down as to search for something, her stare waxing into something yet darker.

"I don't get it," she finally said. "I could've swore it was here-? The path that lead here was familiar enough..."

"It seems Naraku's proven to be even trickier than we've believed," Miroku tried, his tone firm but sounding almost exhausted by the thought itself. "If he's capable of making an entire mansion and its subjects vanish in such a short amount of time, then it means he has adequate defenses against our search." He tossed their hanyou friend and his female companion a dry look, "I've no doubt he'll know how to hide his scent from even Inuyasha's nose, and somehow obscure the glow of his jewel shards in some manner too."

Kagome passed an uncertain glance at Inuyasha, her warm, sunlit-umber eyes wary. Shippo's lip trembled somewhat, the kit sitting tense in the girl's arms.

"You really think he can do that?" Kagome inquired with dread.

Miroku let his eyes lower to the colorless terrain around his feet. "I'm not certain," he tried instead. "Merely speculation."

"I believe it educated," Sango agreed. Her eyes stayed glued to the soil she sifted through her fingertips, her lips puckering out in a way that betrayed her consternation. "I wouldn't think Naraku wouldn't have done what he did without consideration of his enemies."

She rose to her full height and moved to another corner of the plain, her expression suddenly grim.

"What is it?" Miroku asked.

She ignored him, her face shifting between stricken and shocked. She practically tip-toed to a certain spot that did stick out as rather peculiar to the monk; one hand moving to her heart as if to stop the influx of sorrow clenching at it. And then, with a rapid, sudden abandon that seemed to violently compel her, she was on her knees and digging furiously.

"Sango?" Kagome gathered her wits and went to her, Miroku by her side.

"No..." She breathed, her gaze distant. "It can't be-" Sango finally paused as soon as her hands had touched something, Kirara moving to settle beside her with a pensive _mew_.

Just as the group gathered, they saw it as soon as they smelled it; Inuyasha having contorted his expression briefly as the odor clawed at his too-sensitive nose: A body was lying just beneath the surface; the grave cruelly shallow and unattended. Armor was stuck to the deteriorating cadaver, much like Sango's in appearance despite the dirt and unmentionable sludge clinging to it. And if Sango's bereaved expression and muffled gasp was any indicator; said body must've belonged to one of her own people.

 _Maybe her father_ , was Miroku's following thought.

His suspicions were confirmed as Kirara seemed to weigh the mess of filth in a most human manner, tentatively brushing her head against Sango's leg next. The slayer however was hardly responsive, lost in her wailing sorrows as she was. She muttered something akin to "chichi-ue" and dipped her head, her beautiful face suddenly losing the remnants of its usual, albeit brittle composure.

"This," she began, her tone hard and chipped. Her next words were sloppy, her lament palpable, "-This confirms it. This was... this place is where the castle _was_."

Kagome's hand freed itself from its placement as one of Shippo's support, the girl nearly jamming it into her mouth in a choked attempt to stop her empathetic sob. She always seemed to latch onto the feelings of the people around her; and it showed clearly when even Inuyasha broke his scowl in favor of a flat mask. He picked up on the girl's emotions far too easily; but tried to not react to it but guarding his gaze into something no one person could read. Miroku always found it an odd trait for the hanyou to have.

At any rate, Miroku couldn't help but feel his inner disquiet shift into something base; venomous even. His innate anger towards Naraku grew darker still, but he kept his face schooled. He then approached Sango while unraveling his _kesa_ , laying it out beside her.

"Miroku-?" Kagome started.

"We can't leave your chichi-ue and everyone else in a place so befouled by the breath of evil," Miroku quickly explained while his voice betrayed its gentle finality. He knelt beside Sango next, moving to excavate the remains.

"Houshi-sama," Sango's eyes widened as she watched Miroku begin his tedious and grizzly task, the woman at a temporary loss for words.

Miroku continued as if he didn't hear her, "We'll take them to a more appropriate place, and give them a proper burial there. Is that okay with you, Sango?"

He knew Sango wouldn't disagree; seeing as the monk was already knee-deep in the grave and upending it before the woman could so much as protest. Even so, Sango could do no more than utter a tentative "Thank you" next, her eyes transforming from rueful to gingerly surprised and gracious.

And that's how the party spent their whole afternoon; gently assisting the saddened slayer in the attempt to bury what remains of her past. Inuyasha didn't breathe a word in complaint, Shippo withheld his tongue in respectful silence, Kagome sniffled for Sango, Kirara didn't even mew a single time that night. As for Miroku, he was the one who gave these slayers their parting prayers, helping dispelling the malice and taint that cling to them while the group mosied their way _far_ from this horrid land. Needless to say, it was a long walk up that mountain that day, and Miroku learned just how deeply his hatred of Naraku ran.

And even though no man of Buddha would, should, or could never, _ever_ say it, Miroku abhorrently cursed Naraku with every fiber of his immortal soul. It didn't matter that it was a taboo for a man of his cloth to do, Miroku couldn't help that seering burn soiling his spirit as he weighed the dreaded task before him.

 _-_ _No more, Sango. No more. I refuse to let a woman like yourself to suffer needlessly._ _My own soul be damned,_ he promised. _I shall show Naraku what the true definition of what Hell really is. Even if I can't somehow beat this curse that shadows me, the least I can do is try to bring that monster down._

 _Or die trying._


End file.
